Ariadne's thread
by emily.down
Summary: Ariadne has finished the job, but the job hasn't finished with her. And this time, she isn't just the Architect.
1. Chapter 1

Ariadne dropped the keys on the coffee table and lounged herself on the sofa. Her feet were propped up on it. She didn't want to turn on the television. There wasn't anything she wanted to see right now. The exhaustion was spreading to her sleepy eyes. She had worked very hard today on a school project. It had felt rather mundane and meaningless. She had tried to put sense into it. Making everything meaningful took time and effort. She had failed at that, but she had delivered a good project at the end of the day. Only, she had felt rather empty. So yes, she didn't want to see anything right now.

Well, maybe she would have wanted to see _something_.

Dom's children.

Whenever she had joined Dom in his memories, she had never seen their faces, because he couldn't.

So now, it was her wish as well to see his children.

To her, they held the key. It seemed to her they held the key to something important for her.

She didn't know what it was exactly. She only knew she wanted to see them. She would have liked to.

Was she going to fall asleep tonight? She had classes in the morning.

She would better do it. But then she would dream. Well, she hadn't dreamt anything since the job, but who knew when it was going to begin again.

She went into her bedroom and opened the door to the balcony.

She checked if her clothes were dry. Not yet.

Her phone beeped. Someone had sent her a message. She went to check.

_Hey, it's Arthur. Meet me some time soon? Don't be a stranger. _

She smiled and sat down on the bed. It was too soon after the job to start seeing them again. She needed a moment to readjust to the life in Paris.

Of course nothing could compare to the dream, nothing could, not even this beautiful city, but she had to try to get her life back on track. She had to finish her MA and get a job soon, a real one unfortunately.

She suddenly heard a strange song from afar. It was the TV.

'Huh, thought I had shut it off,' she said walking back to the living room. When she walked out of the room she realized she had never turned it on to begin with.

The television was on. Someone was watching. Someone was sitting on her couch.

'There is nothing worth watching these days,' the woman spoke, smiling sadly.

Ariadne froze in her place and tried opening her mouth. It wouldn't work. Her breathing was cut off.

_Totem, totem, where is it?_

Mal seemed to have read her thoughts. She lifted a small, golden object between her fingers.

'Looking for this? It's a good one. Much better than mine. Can I keep it?'

She was wearing a low cut white dress and she had a scarf around her neck, a blue one. Ariadne felt, for some reason, that she had seen the outfit before somewhere.

_Wake up, wake up, _Ariadne told herself. _You're actually…dreaming. _

'Why are you here?' she asked, her voice shaking. 'You aren't supposed to be here.'

'Oh, where am I supposed to be?' she asked, frowning.

'In D…Cobb's mind,' Ariadne replied quickly. 'Not mine. You have no place in mine.'

'Well…here I am,' Mal replied, shrugging her shoulders. 'For some reason…'

'Mal, you are gone,' Ariadne began trying to move.

'Right, gone, yes. I remember someone else saying that. Oh, yes, the traitor. My dear husband who killed me.'

'He didn't kill you! You know well what happened…You know you don't exist,' Ariadne said.

'I used to exist, I used to be very much alive, but he ended it all for me. He wouldn't even let me be a simple, beautiful idea in his mind. He had to pull me out of there too.'

'You can't kill an idea,' Ariadne replied calmly. 'It will remain there and you never know when it will resurface.'

'Yes, you know a thing or two, don't you? But in his case, he has replaced the idea of me with the idea of our children. It appears to be enough for him.'

'Mal, he's happy. He deserves to be happy,' Ariadne said, sighing. 'Don't you love him? Don't you want him to be the father of your children? Don't you want your children to be happy?'

'That man is not my husband. The husband I had wouldn't have abandoned me. He wouldn't have abandoned our children for a dream. He could have had me and the children as well.'

'But he picked reality,' Ariadne retorted, getting irritated. 'Why are you not telling this to him?'

'Because he threw me out. And I have just found a new home,' she said spreading her hands on the sofa and smiling.

Ariadne's eyes widened.

'What do you mean a new home?'

'Dom might have replaced me, but you have nothing to replace me with. I am your first.'

'My first what?'

'Your first 'other woman.' Dom is in between us. You want him. I want him. You have never been through this before. You have never fought for someone. Never had a real opponent.'

Ariadne was now approaching her slowly, all the time keeping her eyes on her totem.

'Other woman? What are you...'

'You know better than me what I am talking about.'

'I don't have these thoughts, these are not my thoughts,' she said, trying to keep her voice steady. 'I don't want Dom, never have wanted him! I just want him to be happy, I…you're not…Jesus, you're not the other woman!'

'That's right. You think you're the _only_ woman. Can't you see you're trying to explain yourself? Why would you do that?' Mal asked, smirking.

'You are _not _a projection of my subconscious!'

Mal got up and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

'You don't know how I'd wish to tear you into pieces. But I can't. You're stopping me.'

Ariadne pulled the totem out of her hand.

'You should call that Arthur boy. Meet with him. He likes you. He is your only hope,' Mal added with a tinge of sadness.

After which she smiled sweetly and she pushed Ariadne into the television set.

She woke up with a halt. She was on her couch. The television was off. Her totem was sitting obediently on a top shelf.

She was breathing heavily. Her mind was reeling.

Mal, she was…she was here. She was in her mind.

Why?

It wasn't because she had feelings for Cobb. She could never…think that.

Why was she here?

What did she want?

She remembered last seeing her in Saito's limbo. She was beautiful and sad, like broken porcelain. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears.

She had felt betrayed and unloved. Ariadne had sympathized with her for a brief moment.

In those moments, while she had called for Cobb to find Saito, she was at the same time, yelling at Mal. To let herself go.

She pitied her.

Before she had taken the leap, Mal had looked at her. She didn't know if she had looked at her with hate or not, but those eyes were now stuck in her own eyes.

She had yelled at Mal to let Cobb leave and live.

She had taken him away from her.

Was she back now to punish her?

Her phone beeped. She almost jumped out of her skin.

_Hey, it's Arthur. Meet me some time soon? Don't be a stranger._


	2. Chapter 2

Thinking back, Ariadne wasn't sure it had been such a good idea to send that message to Arthur.

_Hi, Arthur, I'd be glad to see you. Whenever you're in Paris, give me a call. _

It sounded too cute and girly. She wrinkled her nose. She didn't want to flirt with Arthur, because it would show her lack of professionalism. It would show that she's a silly, little girl which she wasn't.

At the same time though, she was tempted to find some kind of solace in him, because ever since she had been back, she had felt alone without them. She had felt alone without that world. And at least Arthur represented a small part of that world.

Maybe they could be friends, distant friends if anything.

At least he had contacted her. Cobb hadn't. And there was no reason for him to have done it. He was probably happy with his kids, not minding her or the others anymore.

* * *

Cobb was watching his children play in the grass. He smiled at them warmly. He had just bought them a dog and they were very fond of him. He was sitting on a bench, trying to clear his head.

'Come join us, daddy!' Phillipa yelled laughing.

He smirked and rushed a hand through his hair nervously.

'Okay, let me catch my breath a little,' he said and sighed happily.

'Ready?' he said and his kids smiled and nodded their heads. 'Here I come!'

And the chase began once again. He ran after his kids through the park. They were screaming at him.

Cobb could see the green grass and the blue sky melting into one colourful blur.

'Catch us daddy! Catch Jamey!'

'Nah, you're a girl, you're gonna get caught!' James said gleefully.

'You stink!' Phillipa yelled and pushed him playfully.

Cobb managed to catch them both and they rolled up in the grass.

'Now, you two, don't pick up a fight, okay?'

'Phillipa runs like a girl!'

'Hey, you were caught first!'

'Yeah well…' James began annoyed. Then he stopped and looked around. 'Daddy, where's Alfie?'

Alfie was their dog, the golden retriever.

Cobb looked around carefully. He could see from afar the shape of a dog, but he wasn't sure if it was Alfie. His tail was wiggling.

He walked towards the dog, calling him by his name.

The dog had reached the lake. The autumn leaves had fallen on the water and were giving it a red, luminous hue.

Suddenly, a bridge appeared over the lake. The dog ran up the bridge and stopped at a girl's feet.

Cobb walked towards her. It was Ariadne. She was petting the dog. Her long, auburn hair was falling down her shoulders.

'What a cute dog, he sure is friendly,' she told him, smiling.

'What do you think, Dom? Getting better at this?' she asked, pointing at the bridge.

He took a moment to drink it in. It was a very beautiful and precise construction, albeit simple and almost superfluous because it covered only a short portion of water.

But when he looked at it, he felt it was truly wonderful. It was a piece that deserved to be there. It fit the frame.

'I'd say it's pretty good,' he replied confused. 'But you could do better.'

'I know,' Ariadne said shrugging her shoulders. 'Take a better look.'

He looked down at the black, red lake. The leaves were gathering in perfect circles. He couldn't see his reflection in it. Or hers.

There had never been a lake in that park. He realized it now.

But when he had seen it, it had felt natural for it to be there.

As if reading his thoughts, Ariadne smiled and spoke.

'You just thought it had always been here. I guess I'm trying new things.'

'I would say I am impressed but then I wouldn't want you to be too self-complacent.'

'Way ahead of you, I'm afraid,' Ariadne said laughing.

He smiled and was about to reply, but he suddenly felt cold. He looked around at the dark trees and the green grass, melting with the blue sky.

'I have to go…to my children,' he said, after a pause. Her auburn locks swished in the soft breeze. He looked away.

The bridge disappeared.

He suddenly fell into the water with a splash…and he woke up.

He opened his eyes. He was lying in the hammock in his back yard. He sensed a weight next to him. The kids were sleeping on his chest.

He smiled relieved.

The dream had certainly been strange. This was the first time he had ever dreamt of Ariadne.

He blinked confused. He felt a chill creep down his spine. He checked his watch. It was almost seven in the afternoon.

He wouldn't have wanted to wake them up. But maybe he could bring a blanket from inside and not disturb them. He got up slowly, making sure he moved them as little as possible.

As he walked towards the house, the images of Ariadne, smiling to him on that bridge kept flooding his mind. He wondered what it all had been about.

Why dream about her now? Was his mind trying to tell him something?

Maybe he just missed her. She had been a great kid.

The greatest kid, actually. The only one who had taken a chance and looked deep inside of him, careless of the consequences. He admired her for that. He was also grateful she hadn't run away after what she had seen.

Yes, she was like one of his own children.

She was his other child, maybe…but no, he shook his head. That felt very wrong.

He had tried it before.

During the job he often felt he was losing her, losing Ariadne from his grasp, that she was digging too deep into him and into that world. Whenever that happened, he tried to reason that she was his responsibility, his apprentice and that no matter what he couldn't let her mind get infested. He didn't know how else to feel her there. She was a part of his memories, a part that had grown over his past, a figment of the future. But she was still there.

If he let her go, then he wouldn't get her back and, after all, she was…

That moment when they woke up on the plane, he wanted to think she was a child that had been saved, but the only thing he could muster to think was that in that light, she looked almost different.

She wasn't _his child_, or _his girl_…

Children don't see what she had seen. And little girls aren't allowed to do what she had done.

She was his architect.

And it made all the difference.

* * *

Ariadne was holding her bag full of books and a large drawing board in the other hand while at the same time trying to juggle a portfolio full of papers.

And her colleagues were just passing by, not even noticing she was in need of assistance.

One of them – she knew him, his name was Rick – purposefully bumped into her and smirked.

She rolled her eyes and pushed him back, dropping her portfolio in the process.

'Dumbass!' she called after him. She knew why she wasn't Rick's favourite person. For weeks now, some people had heard about Professor Miles procuring her a job a while ago and they were seething with jealousy. Because they considered her the scrawny teacher's pet and nothing else.

'Well, never thought I'd hear that from you,' an amused voice woke her up.

She looked up to see Arthur, standing in front of her, clean cut and impeccable as always, holding her portfolio.

She was too surprised to say anything yet. She just ogled at him with intense curiosity.

Then she blushed consciously when she realized he was wearing an elegant suit and she was sporting some shaggy jeans, a scruffy pair of sneakers and a green T-shirt that said "World's greatest pancake eater".

Not to mention her hair was pulled up in a messy bun and she was trying to push the strands from her eyes.

'A-Arthur, hey!' she said, when her voice came back. 'What are you doing here?'

'Well, I'm in Paris for business and I thought I'd drop by and see…the world's greatest pancake eater,' he said, smirking. 'I heard it's a big attraction around here.'

'You don't say,' she replied, rolling her eyes. 'Well, it's good to have you back. I'm glad you dropped by.'

'Is this your subtle way of telling me you missed me?'

She was about to punch him in the shoulder, but she was in danger of dropping something else again.

'Need some help with that baggage?'

'No, no, I'm fine,' she said, shaking her head, but he swiftly took the drawing board from her.

'So, mind going out for coffee with me and telling me what you've been up to?'

'If you give me a second or two, I'll meet you outside. I just have to put some things back.'

A quarter of an hour later, they were both sitting at one of her favourite cafes, talking about their lives.

'…and those damn brats at my school give me crap because I got a job and they didn't. Big deal. It's pretty annoying. But enough about me. How are you and the others?'

'Well, Eames and Yufus are taking it easy in the Bahamas. They considered they needed a vacation after all that work. As for me, I'm still working as you can see. Waiting for the next best thing, or a job, either way. And Cobb…well, he's doing great with his kids from what I hear. That's about it.'

'Huh, guess everyone's back on track,' Ariadne replied. 'I'm happy for you guys. I'm surprised you can relapse into your lives so easily.'

'Easily? Nah, they're just fooling themselves into believing they're well-adjusted.'

'Even Cobb?' she asked unsure.

He stared at her with something reminiscent of the way he had looked at her the first time she had woken from her dream with Cobb.

'I have to admit, I do miss it a lot, daily actually,' she mumbled. 'That world of pure, unaltered creation…'

'Who doesn't? It's not just a thing you toss aside and decide to forget,' Arthur said. 'Of course you're going to miss it. We all do, even when we say we don't. Even I can't wait to get back in there. Course, I'll get another job soon. But what about you?'

'What about me?' she asked frowning.

'How will _you_ cope with reality?'

'What's with the third degree?'

'Hey, we've been through the _fourth_ degree, so humour me,' he said smiling.

'Well, I guess I'll bear it, there's no other way. Real life can't be bent. I mean I have to finish this degree and then…What?'

Arthur rolled his eyes.

'And Eames says_ I_ have no imagination. Ariadne, you could always join us for another job. It won't cost you much. And you know it wouldn't exactly _disturb_ you from your studies.'

'Wait, is that why you came to Paris? To offer me a job?' she asked, irritation finding its way in her voice.

Arthur placed a hand over hers.

'No, I wanted to see you. But something will come up very soon. I've had some calls from some people. And I thought I should tell you. Give you time to think. And give you time to give me an answer. In the mean time, how about I take you out to dinner tonight?'

Ariadne was too confused and dumbstruck to say anything. Arthur could always go from being sleazy to charming and affable.

'Well, I do have a lot of work to do for school…'

'On a Friday night? Really?'

'Hmm, good point. Fine, I'll go, but just so you don't think I'm a huge dork or something.'

'The thought never crossed my mind,' he replied smirking.

* * *

'You know, staring at your plate like that is a clear sign something is wrong,' Arthur spoke up, waking her from her musings of how to get rid of the lobster without anyone noticing.

'Did I ever mention I don't like seafood?' she said embarrassed.

'Now she tells me. Then why did you order that?'

'It was the only thing in the menu that I could at least _stare_ at. When you said dinner, I was thinking along the lines of Chinese,' she said, playing with the hems of her blue dress.

'Do I look like that kind of guy?'

'Gee, someone's smarmy tonight,' she replied.

'Well, I thought we should take advantage of that extra penny and go somewhere extra nice,' Arthur said, looking around at the lavish room.

Ariadne's eyes widened as she saw a person crossing the room and heading towards their table. She gripped her glass.

Of course. She should have expected it.

'Seems like there's something else that's extra,' she added, glaring at him.

Eames greeted them as he reached their table. He pulled himself a chair and sat down uninvited.

'Well, well, well, what have we here? The loveliest architect in the world and…you,' he said pointing disappointed at Arthur. 'Well, I was expecting someone more interesting.'

'Eames…what a surprise to see you here,' Ariadne spoke, staring at Arthur the whole time.

'I am equally surprised to run into you two lovebirds. Darling, blue really is your colour,' he said pointing at her dress.

'Okay, try to act straight Eames,' Arthur muttered. 'And cut the act.'

'So, Ari, tell me, how's life been for you?' he asked, ignoring Arthur.

'Well, Eames, it's been peachy. I would've thought you were in the Bahamas though,' she said, crossing her arms.

'Now who gave you that idea? No, I am always where I am needed.'

'Well, you and Arthur are both here, so why don't you talk?'

'Well, darling, we are here to persuade you to take the job,' he said seriously.

* * *

**And that's a wrap on the second chapter. Hopefully I did a decent job :) Right now, I am completely obsessed with Inception and its soundtrack, so I'll be putting a lot of writing into it. It's just too brilliant to get over, honestly. Anyways, there are hints in my story of Ari/Arthur but they are there for a purpose.**

**Anyways, please tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews, you guys are great:)**

'You know you can't stay away love, as much as you'd like to. It's in your blood now, it's in your pulse. Whatever you accomplish in your pretty little life will never hold a candle to what you can do there. It's all about being the architect of _your _world, not _this_ world. This world will ultimately disappoint you. You will finish school and find a common job and you will be stuck there trying to mould something that means nothing. Consider that we're offering you a form of absolute power, if you wish,' Eames told her, pulling a few strands behind her ear.

Ariadne looked down at the insufferable lobster. Her heart was racing. She remembered how it had felt to lift cities to life, to dream up the most complex surroundings, to combine winter, spring, summer and autumn into one grand moment of beauty. To shape time to her own needs and not be shaped by time.

But accepting this job, accepting it for real, meant going in deep. It meant taking a risk with what was there. Cobb wasn't there anymore, but she was there. And Mal was in her head. Whether she liked it or not.

This was an impending danger.

'Ariadne,' Arthur told her smiling. 'This time, you wouldn't just be the Architect. Cobb isn't here anymore. You would help me steal the idea. You would be an Extractor as well.'

'But…how and why?'

'The target lost a daughter about your age some time ago. It would make the Extraction a lot easier and effective,' he explained.

'I…I'll have to think about it. I don't think I can do it,' Ariadne said, knowing fully well she might be right.

'What do you mean you cannot?' Arthur asked quietly.

'My mind is not a safe place right now,' she said, trying to steady her train of thoughts.

Arthur sighed in a very odd way.

'I know Inception put a big strain on you and I know it can't just fade away, but you have to cleanse your mind, you have to move on.'

'Arthur you don't understand, I'm dreaming… of Mal.'

Arthur remained completely still and nodded nonchalantly, as if he was expecting this, as if he had expected this the whole time.

'Of course you do. After what you saw in there with Cobb, it would be odd _not_ to dream of her. That's no reason to worry yourself. You are _not_ Cobb. You are not in his position. And you know very well Mal will go away once Cobb's memories are overridden. She is not going to torment you like she did with Cobb. You know that. You will just have to let your subconscious realize you're not Cobb and you're not what she is looking for.'

'I can't risk it,' Ariadne spoke firmly.

'Ariadne, if you think she's in your dreams because she wants something from you then confronting her is the answer. Didn't you say that to Cobb once?' Eames asked, raising a brow.

Ariadne shook her head, unsure.

'It's different here…I just dreamt of her once. But I don't know what could happen.'

'Only once? Then you really can't know the extent of it,' Arthur commented. 'Why don't we find out? Why don't we put you to sleep and see?'

* * *

Dom had made lunch today. He had tried to anyway. At first he had promised his kids that he would cook them whatever they wanted. Then he had to confess he was ridiculously bad at anything that involved a pan. And he had to tell them that they'd have to narrow it down to something simple.

In the end, they picked spaghetti.

And he managed to deliver after almost three hours. He had to laugh at himself. Without Mal there, everything took too much time. But Mal wouldn't ever be there. Which was a good thing; it was a good thing to understand she would never be part of the family again.

She had left them, her children.

He wouldn't do that anymore. If he chased after her, it would mean leaving them.

And in the long run, he knew he loved his children more than the memory of his wife.

It tore him apart that he had to pick whom to love. But he knew he had made the right choice.

_You __**know**__, but what do you __**believe**__ in? _Mal had once asked him.

He believed…he believed in…

The phone rang. He jumped from his chair and let the children eat while he picked up.

'How are you doing, old sport?' Miles' kind voice asked from the other end.

Cobb smiled into the phone.

'Making your grandchildren some spaghetti. Actually, we're eating it just now.'

'Hm, well I guess miracles do happen. And I'm not just talking about you being there. How are things going?'

'They're going great,' Cobb said, trying to sound more optimistic than he was. 'Nothing compares to having them close to me. It's exhilarating to say the least.'

'I know, old chap. I know. Speaking of which, I was thinking of dropping by to see them. I have a conference next month. Do you think I could trespass your hospitality and maybe taste some of that spaghetti?'

Cobb chuckled.

'Anything for an old friend. I'll tell the kids you're coming. They're going to flip.'

'Yes, well, remember, I was their favourite, first,' Miles joked, chuckling.

There was a heavy pause during which Cobb tried to form the next question.

'How is Ariadne?'

It hadn't been so hard. He thought it would be too hard to ask. But no, it had slipped out his tongue smoothly.

'Ariadne? The dear girl is working hard as usual. She's improved greatly ever since…your little expedition. I would be very glad of her performance, if only…'

Cobb waited patiently for the end of the sentence. An impending feeling of dread pervaded his senses.

'If only what?'

'You know very well, Cobb. Once you show someone like her your world, she'll never want to come back. She is just as conscientious as always with her work, but she doesn't have the heart for it anymore. Anything she does for school she does it out of obligation. She puts no passion into it. Her real passion is trapped somewhere in someone's dream, I'm afraid.'

Cobb sighed and groaned internally. Yes, that always happened. The spiral. It always led one deeper and deeper into the addiction. For Architects, it was a powerful, notorious drug.

It was something he wished he could have but could not prevent for his Ariadne.

'You know what that means, don't you Cobb?'

Cobb knew the answer. He didn't want to think of it, but he knew it. And it made him feel miserable, somewhere deep down.

'You've corrupted one of my students again. She will seek a new job, soon. She won't be able to stay away,' Miles replied, a tinge of sadness in his words.

'Please, could you look out for her? I wouldn't want something bad happening to her,' Cobb said, his voice a bit high.

'Cobb, you know I am already doing that. What about you? Don't you miss the job?'

'No,' Cobb said truthfully. If he did miss it even one bit, he had his children to make up for it.

'Well, I'll tell Ariadne you asked for her. By the way, why don't you call her yourself?'

The question took him by complete surprise. He had not expected that of Miles. He had never asked himself that.

Now, now that he was finally confronted with the question, he was utterly baffled.

Why hadn't he called her himself? What was preventing him? Was it too soon? Was he unsure of how she felt after everything that happened?

'I…I wasn't ready, after everything,' he replied, not quite sure it was true. And it probably wasn't. He did miss Ariadne. He missed her voice. Why didn't he call her so he could hear her voice? He needed to know she was alright. He needed to know his mind hadn't left any marks on hers. Why didn't he call her? Was he afraid that it was true, that he had changed her in many other ways Miles knew nothing about?

The question followed him everywhere for the rest of the afternoon.

In the evening, he lay down on the empty bed. He touched his wife's side, empty, cold and barren. He used to sleep in the middle of the bed.

Now, for some reason, he decided to sleep on his side and let his hand rest on her side.

It felt better this way, it felt more normal. It felt like he was getting used to being a single father.

Soon, he was in that familiar park again, playing with his children.

In the back of his mind, he felt excited. He felt he would see Ariadne again.

He walked all over the park, trying to find the lake. But it was nowhere to be found.

Autumn had passed. Now it was December. The Christmas decorations hung from all the trees. The beautiful, soft lights shone on the great heaps of sugary snow. There was music in the air, carols, or something similar to it. He was wearing an old scarf around his neck. The children were making a snowman. Every time they reached the head, it fell to the ground in a great puddle.

'Daddy, it won't stay up! Why won't it?' Phillipa demanded.

'I think you've made the head too big for the body, sweety. So the snowman fell because he couldn't hold hid head,' he explained, smiling.

'Oh, I see…' she said screwing her lips in concentration. James stuck out his tongue.

'This is boring, let's catch snowflakes with our tongue,' he said walking away.

'You look like Alfie, with your tongue like that!' Phillipa shrieked laughing.

'Daddy, where's Alfie?' James asked again.

Cobb's heart started beating. He rushed towards the shape of a dog in the distance.

It was going to lead him to her.

Alfie stopped in front of the frozen lake. There it was, waiting for him.

There were people skating on it, carelessly, holding hands or kissing from time to time.

He saw the lips part and close over each other. An odd sensation of elation took hold of him.

The bridge was now adorned with icicles. They hung from the arches like dangerous daggers, ready to stab into anyone's heart.

On the bridge, there was a woman, but from where he was standing, he thought it wasn't Ariadne.

For a small moment he almost felt disappointed. It lasted very little, because he realized it was Mal. She was standing with her back to him, her hair stuck to her shoulders, draped in a large, oversize coat and wearing another old scarf.

He walked towards her, even though he did not want to. But he had to.

He stepped slowly on the ice-cold wood and his footsteps creaked. She didn't turn. She seemed smaller, younger for some reason.

He saw the couples around him kiss again.

The feeling of elation took hold of him again. He missed that, he missed kissing his wife, he missed having her close. He missed human contact.

He missed lips.

He snaked his arms around her waist just like he used to on the bridge in Paris. That one happy moment of love.

His mouth closed on her neck and he breathed on her skin, feeling how cold she really was, how she needed to be warmed.

He pushed part of the coat over her shoulders.

Suddenly, a sea of auburn flew into his eyes. The long, silky locks escaped their cage and attacked his face.

He turned her around.

'Ariadne…' he whispered as she faced him, her cheeks redder than cherries.

'Dom…' she whispered, staring back. A cloud of steam rolled off her lips.

'I thought you were…' he began, but he faltered. Her eyes were brightened by the snow around her. He couldn't finish that, not with those eyes looking at him.

He realized soon enough he hadn't let go of her waist.

'Dom, something went wrong with my plans. I wanted it to be summer, not winter. And now look around. Snow and ice. And everyone's skating around us,' she said, pointing at the figures kissing and skating. The tall branches of a tree shook and a rain of snowflakes fell down on the shattered surface of the lake.

'Why did that happen?' she asked confused. 'I planned everything, I built it all correctly. People were going to swim in the lake. I was going to swim. I am very cold now.'

Out of instinct, Cobb drew her to him in a hug and tried warming her up.

'I'm sorry, you must have made a simple mistake, but no harm done,' he said, his lips touching her hair involuntarily.

He felt Ariadne trembling in his arms. He could feel her body through the thin, oversize coat.

And he realized something, something completely insane. Something extremely dangerous.

The lips, the couples, the ice…it made sense, it all made sense and a burning feeling in his throat kept him from yelling or pulling her tighter to him.

Why was everything taunting him? Why was his own…architect doing this? Why was she doing this to him?

Who was she? Ariadne would never do this.

'No, no, it's not you,' he said hoarsely, holding her. 'It's me. I am dreaming this. I made you feel cold, I made winter for you. I…Jesus I…'

Ariadne slowly pulled away from his grasp and put a hand on her chest, touching the soft fabric of the coat. Beyond it, there was only skin.

'You undressed me?'

He shut his eyes and fell down on his knees. With one shaking hand, he touched her naked leg, just like he had touched Mal's that time during the Saito job.

Ariadne slapped him hard over his face and he fell harder on the ice-cold wood. One of the icicles popped and dropped like a dagger into his chest.

He woke up with a jolt.

He rushed to the bathroom and put his head under the water tap. He sat there for an hour.

He sat there for an hour, the water dripping from his eyes like tears, tears he would have liked to shed. He beat his fists into the bathroom wall and fell to the floor.

'No, Ariadne, not you…' he said, remembering how he had left one hand lingering on his wife's side of the bed.

* * *

'Just relax. I know it sounds stupid for me to say that, but in your case it will work. I will join you in a couple of moments,' Arthur told Ariadne as they both settled into two armchairs.

'Remember, I need you to dream an intimate, safe place.'

She nodded, closing her eyes.

They were in her tiny apartment. Eames was in the living room, watching TV.

They were in her bedroom.

Arthur pushed the button and they both fell into a dream. Her dream.

When Arthur opened his eyes, he saw they were in Paris still. He was walking down a narrow street. She had stopped in front of him at a book store.

He entered the book store and quietly closed the door behind him.

There were many rows of books in front of him, of all shapes and sizes. There was no one there, not a single person.

He noticed the rows were a maze, her own personal maze. The shelves were cluttered with books that were threatening to fall. The maze went on forever, it was never ending, he realized. There was no end to it as there was really no beginning.

'Ariadne?' he called.

'I'm here,' she said and when he turned the corner she was standing at one of the rows, flipping through a book.

'What is this _charming_ place?'

'It's my safe place. I come here sometimes to think.'

'Oh, very you indeed. Who wouldn't find safety in rows upon rows of heavy books? How can you find space to think in here?' he asked, rather puzzled.

'Well, there's a lot more space through here,' she said pushing one of the walls away.

It opened to a small, quaint garden.

There was one bench in the middle of it. He looked up. The ceiling was made of glass. The sunlight was streaming through it.

There were books around the garden as well, but it was a lot more comforting than the infinite maze.

They both walked to the bench and sat down.

'Well, until now, nothing seems out of place. Except of course for the fact that your safety place looks more like a prison,' Arthur commented.

'What would you like me to dream?' she asked, irritated.

'I don't know…maybe your family home in New York. That counts to me as a safe place.'

Ariadne looked down, her eyelids heavy with a weight she had always carried.

'I don't have any parents.'

Arthur's neck turned so fast he thought it would break.

'Oh…you…'

'Nope. There was no family home. I'm an orphan.'

'So…'

'Yeah, I practically raised myself,' she said, trying to sound somewhat cheerful.

'I'm sorry. I didn't know.'

'You couldn't have, it's alright.'

'Still, I apologize. Have you tried…finding them?'

'I really don't want to talk about it, Arthur. I think you can understand.'

He nodded. His chest felt constricted. He knew what the feeling was. He felt sad, very sad.

His gaze fell upon her eyes. He wanted to say something comforting, but he didn't know what.

'Why did you kiss me that time?' she suddenly asked.

'Excuse me?'

'You heard me. On the second level, we were in the lobby of the hotel, you kissed me. Why?'

'You are seriously asking this now?'

'Yes, I'd like an answer. You knew the kiss wouldn't distract anyone.'

'I can't deny that…'

'So then, why did you do it, regardless?'

'I'm not allowed to like you, I suppose?' he asked, his tone rather brisk.

Ariadne looked at him surprised.

'Like me? I never thought I'd be your type.'

'What is that supposed to mean?'

'I thought…you wouldn't go for the overly geeky bookworm,' she said, trying to sound nonchalant.

'And I don't usually. So you must be something special,' he said gesturing at the place around them.

'Right, that old line again,' she snorted.

'Except on you it doesn't work,' he said, smiling to himself.

After a long pause, he broke the silence.

'Mal's not here, Ari. I think she would have been here by now.'

Ariadne wasn't convinced.

'We have to wait.'

* * *

**And another poorly-plotted chapter done:) I know this one is a bit risque, I hope none of you find Cobb's dream too...sinisterly odd, I hope it makes sense. And leave a comment if you liked it or not please. Or just leave a comment telling me anything you like. **

**Mal will be appearing next chapter, I promise :)  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Back with the another chapter, a little bit shorter than the previous. Thanks to everyone for the support and the kind reviews! I added the lyrics of this song at the beginning, because I've been listening to it too many times while writing. Maybe you'll listen to it too. It's pretty great. Anyways, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. **

_So don't get into it with me_  
_When I goose-step across the kitchen floor_  
_You know I still adore-_  
_Are your eyes changing hands?_  
_I'm so impressed that you hear_  
_My inventions, and that it matters more_  
_Than what you saw with your eyes _

_The Shins- When I Goose step

* * *

  
_

'What exactly are we waiting for?' Arthur asked in a skeptical voice.

'For the moment she'll show up.'

'Oh, gee, thanks for telling me the obvious. Ariadne, why isn't she here by now?'

'My subconscious works in a weird way, okay?' she snapped a bit. 'Sorry, I just…I know what I'm dreaming. I know at least that. She'll be here.'

'It was only once Ari and…' he drifted off not knowing what to say exactly. 'And it probably involved your memories with Cobb. The memory of his wife stuck with him so much that in the long run you ended up with it. It happens sometimes. You must not let it take over you like that.'

Ariadne pursed her lips and looked down. She whispered Cobb's name in her mind.

Dominic Cobb.

'Come on, Ari, you're a grown woman, use some of that supposed logic you have…' Arthur interrupted her thoughts.

Ariadne stared at him surprised.

'Full grown woman…' she repeated.

_The other woman, _Mal had told her.

The sound of it made her recoil deeply in her skin.

Mal calling her that was like a stab in the back after all she had done.

If Mal thought she was the other woman, then she herself thought she was the other woman.

She shook her head in agony. Why was her subconscious making her believe these things? Why did it want her to believe she had to fight for Cobb? She had done that already.

Arthur stared at her concerned.

'You alright, Ariadne?'

Why was it always so hard with Dom? Why were there always two sides?

Why did there have to be his wife and her?

She only wanted him to be happy and safe. And alive, always alive, never dreaming, always awake, always…himself.

She missed him. Did she miss the Cobb that had nodded to her at the airport, the one that smiled at her proudly whenever she did a good job and patted her shoulder when she was having a hard time, or the Cobb in the dream, who depended on her fully, who let his entire weight on her, who sometimes stared at her with hopelessness, who found solace in her?

'Hey, are you here with me?' Arthur asked, shaking her shoulder slightly.

Her eyes were lifted to his face. He was here with her, Arthur was here.

'Quick, kiss me,' she suddenly said.

Arthur's mouth opened in shock. He couldn't quite register what she had just demanded.

The feeling of déjà vu hit him square in the chest.

Was Ariadne toying with him.

'A-are you serious?'

'Yes, really serious,' she said looking around. 'Just kiss me.'

He lifted her chin lightly and their lips met quickly, without any surprise or rush like the first time.

Ariadne counted in her mind backwards.

They both heard a loud noise. Some books had fallen to the ground.

The sound of heavy footsteps was drowned in the noise of two rows collapsing.

Mal strutted in the middle of the garden, dressed this time in a black, slender dress she usually wore for Cobb.

Arthur broke the kiss and stared at her amazed.

'So, you think you can fool yourself into believing something else?' she drawled, smiling at the two of them. 'You think _he_ can solve your problems?'

Ariadne felt Arthur go completely still next to her.

'To him maybe you are the woman, but you'll never be the one for Cobb. And we both know it will never be enough. Your little Point Man can only take you so far,' she said and took out a large knife.

She hauled it at Arthur. At first he was too shocked to react to her attack but he quickly dodged her and rolled on the grass.

'Stop it, just stop it!' Ariadne said grabbing her shoulders.

Mal pushed her way and Ariadne collapsed into one of the rows. Her strength was incredible.

'Why don't I take him just like you took the one I loved?' she asked, smirking and licking her lips.

'You won't be able to do that. He is not yours for the taken,' Ariadne retorted.

'That's what I thought about Dom. And look now, he has betrayed me for someone like you, a puny little girl with no self-respect.'

'You can't kill him in a dream, he will wake up,' Ariadne spoke.

Another feeling of déjà vu flooded Arthur as he wrestled with her. Cobb had said those words once. During their job in Saito's mind, Mal had shot him.

'No, but I can offer him pain. You see, pain is in the mind,' Mal replied.

Mal stabbed him in the left arm which elicited a harrowing scream from him.

He pushed her away with all his force. Mal hit the ground.

'Oh my God, Arthur!' Ariadne yelled rushing to him. He was holding his bleeding hand, trying not to yell in pain.

Mal was about to get up, but Ariadne quickly grabbed the knife and plunged it into her heart.

She started laughing. Her laughter grew stronger and stronger when Ariadne stabbed her again.

Mal grabbed Ariadne's hands.

'Whatever you do to me, I'll always be here. And you will bring him to me.'

'I would never…'

But she didn't have time to say anything else because Arthur grabbed her and pushed her into the rows, after which he threw himself as well.

They opened their eyes simultaneously, she gasping for her breath, he trying not to move too quickly from the pain in his arm.

'Arthur!' Ariadne lunged herself towards him, checking if he was alright.

'It's okay, Ariadne…I'm fine,' he said morosely. He rubbed his eyes tiredly.

'I am really sorry. I told you, I told you she'd show up.'

Arthur nodded.

'Shit. She's pretty strong,' he muttered. 'I haven't seen her so enraged since Cobb.'

Ariadne nodded.

'Do you want a glass of water?' she said going over to the door.

'Sure…' he mumbled.

Ariadne entered the living room but Eames was not there. The TV was still on.

'Eames? Eames where are you?'

'Looking for a glass of water?' someone asked.

The sound of glass breaking made her shudder.

Mal was holding half a glass in her hand, the sharp end pointed at her.

'Mal…you're still…I'm…' Ariadne stuttered looking back at her bedroom.

'Dreaming? Well, let's see if this is real or not!' she said and threw the glass at her.

Ariadne ducked in time and sprawled on the floor.

Mal grabbed her legs and pushed her into the couch.

'You're not a very nice Architect, you know? You're not doing your job,' Mal gritted placing her hands around her neck.

'Mal, you don't want to do this…' Ariadne whispered trying to fight her back.

'Oh, but you definitely want to. Your mind is only too happy to have me around,' Mal said grinning. 'You've been a very bad girl, Becca. A very bad girl.'

Ariadne stared at her confused.

'I'm not…B-Becca….'

She managed to sneak a hand around her hair and pushed Mal away.

'Arthur!' she yelled.

Mal's sharp nails scratched her face.

'Arthur, come quick!' Ariadne yelled again.

Mal smiled pleased.

'He isn't coming, he's never coming!'

There was a gunshot. Ariadne fell to the floor, in a puddle of blood, her body collapsing over Mal's.

Another shot and…

* * *

'What the hell was going on there?' Arthur asked getting up from the chair quickly.

Ariadne blinked hard and looked around her tiny bedroom.

'We're not dreaming anymore?'

Eames was already in the room, staring at them worriedly.

'No, darling, check your totem if you don't believe it,' he said sighing.

'God damn it, Ariadne!' Arthur exclaimed, trying to calm himself down. It was a very rare instance for him to lose a bit of his self-control.

'Well, you sure pissed him off, didn't you?' Eames asked, smiling.

'I told you she would come, she's…'

'She's mental. She's violent and hostile. Just like in Cobb's dreams,' Arthur continued in a dry voice.

'She's a menace, once again,' he finished.

Ariadne covered her face in her palms.

'I never meant for this to happen.'

Eames placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it.

'I know you didn't, love, we'll just have to figure out a way to get rid of it…'

'No, we have to figure out a way to lock her up. Just like Cobb did. For now, that's our only option,' Arthur said.

'Lock her away?' Ariadne asked. 'I'm not doing that, I can't…'

'Arthur, you do realize we're going to have to tell Cobb about this?' Eames asked.

Arthur paced around the room, looking back and forth at Ariadne and Eames.

'He needs to know, Arthur. He's the only one that can help her in this situation,' he insisted.

Seeing as neither of them was answering him, he sighed, got up and left the room quietly.

'Arthur, I'm…' Ariadne began but he stopped in front of her and crouched down.

'Do you have any feelings for Cobb that you are trying to repress?'

'No!' she said quickly.

Arthur didn't look convinced.

'Are you sure? Because what Mal did in there is what you wanted her to do. Do you feel something for him, other than brotherly love?'

Ariadne looked down.

'No. I don't… I don't know,' she answered.

'Right…' Arthur replied, rubbing his forehead. 'You don't know. Well, you'll have to find out.'

Ariadne felt Arthur was still angry. And she knew that it wasn't just about Mal. It was about the kiss as well. She didn't know how to tell him, how to apologize or how to make amends.

She didn't even know how to bring it up.

'You know I would never want to hurt you. I am sorry that happened,' she mumbled. 'You're the last person I'd want to see hurt on my account.'

'Eh, maybe the second, don't you think?' Arthur asked, a shadow of a smile flickering on his face.

'Right, when you two sissies are done chatting, how about calling Cobb?' Eames asked, standing in the door way, holding the phone.

* * *

Ariadne sat in her bed that night, the filter of coffee on her bedside table. She kept drinking and reading. She was reading about dreams again.

Whenever she felt sleepy, she would pace around the room and take some exercise.

'Becca, Becca…'she muttered.

Why had Mal called her that?

The name made no sense to her in her conscious state. But it meant something in her dreams. It was a name she knew, but one she had forgotten.

She had to find out what it meant.

Rebecca.

That was the character in one of her favourite books, by Daphne du Maurier. But Rebecca in the book was the deceased wife. Rebecca was the first woman. It's true the heroine vied for her husband's love against her, but if Mal had really made that connection shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't Mal be Rebecca and she…Mrs. de Winter?

No, no, no, she didn't feel that way for Cobb.

How could she be either of them when it was obvious she did not feel that way?

She remembered how in the book Rebecca was a vicious, loathsome woman. How she taunted Max. How Mal taunted Dom.

* * *

Cobb held the phone to his ear in disbelief. He tried to make sense of the words that he was hearing. All the words were coming out wrong. This is not what he wanted to hear. This is not what he was ready for. If he wanted to hear something, it was that Ariadne was just fine, working at her projects, living in Paris peacefully, not thinking about any of this.

Mal, goddammit, you're supposed to stay with me, he told himself angrily.

'Mate, all I can say is that your darling wife is acting more than just…feisty,' Eames was saying. 'Maybe you'd like to put her back in her place.'

'Is Ariadne alright?'

'As alright as anyone who just got trashed around by her friend's dead wife. Look, I don't know what's going on in the kid's head but it's not good. Arthur is pretty pissed. I don't think this will just go away in time. Well, I meant her dreams, not Arthur's little tantrums.'

'Why did this happen? We both let her go back then…' Cobb spoke more to himself.

'Maybe you let her go, but Ari sure didn't. Or Mal didn't let go of her. Either way, she can't really…she can't…er…'

'What? She can't what?'

'Well she can't build anymore, can she? I mean she's dealing with your problem now. She can't be an Architect. It would sabotage every job, wouldn't it?'

Cobb ran a hand over his face. He closed his eyes in frustration.

She had taken his pain away by catching the virus herself. The thought of it made his old guilt flood back with a vengeance, but this time it was guilt that he hadn't protected Ariadne. The one person that couldn't be corrupted.

He should have known, in the back of his head he should have predicted this, he should have saved her, he should have never let her come to his limbo. It would stain her forever.

'Right now, we think the best thing would be to lock Mal up, like…like you did,' Eames continued undeterred.

'But Cobb, it would be really helpful if you were here.'

'I can't leave my children, you know that,' he said hoarsely. 'Could you come here? Could you bring her here?'

'Huh, that wouldn't be a problem. We have a job there anyway.'

'A job?'

'An Extraction. She was going to help us. I guess she can't do that anymore,' Eames said bitterly.

Cobb felt the guilt knife twisting again.

He would've wanted to snap at Eames, tell him he knew it was his fault. But Eames didn't know half of it, so there was no point in telling anyone anything.


	5. Chapter 5

**Longer chapter, because I am still obsessed and I love the characters too much. This chapter is sort of muddled. It's a bit like an odd puzzle. Thanks everyone for the wonderful reviews! Hope you like it!**

* * *

Ariadne was trying once again to stay awake. She had slept for three hours, a dreamless sleep. It had felt wonderful. But she had woken herself up because she wasn't sure it would stay that way.

It was about four in the morning. She decided to do some sketches. It would keep her mind focused and awake. She moved into the living room and turned on her laptop to put some music. She settled on Jefferson Airplane for a change. That always made her feel better.

She took out her drawing board and started on a couple of cubist figures.

'Stay awake now,' she told herself.

Soon she got lost in her own designs and forgot that she was actually quite drowsy. Well, in the back of her mind a pillow would have been a good friend right now, but she was too busy humming the lyrics to _Plastic Fantastic Lover_.

_Secrecy of lady-chrome-covered clothes  
You wear cause you have no other  
But I suppose no one knows  
You're my plastic fantastic lover_

She liked the feeling of being sprawled on the floor, drawing while the song filled her ears and her dreams.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder.

'Jesus God dammit!' she yelled jumping up. 'Arthur!'

He was standing in front of her, holding a brief case, looking dashing and and ready to take on an army, as usual.

She quickly grabbed the totem from the couch. It wasn't a dream.

'Hey, I heard some bad singing in the hallway and I thought I'd check it out,' he said amused.

'What the heck are you doing here at this hour? You scared the shit out of me!' she said getting up. 'And how did you get through the door?'

'You left it unlocked,' he said matter-of-factly. 'Not your smartest move yet. Seriously now, how many logo T-shirts do you have?'

She looked at him confused before she realized she was wearing a red pajama shirt with the drawing of a bone on it that said 'Lazy Bones'.

She rolled her eyes and went to the laptop to turn off the music.

'So…how are you holding up?' he said, looking around the messy living room.

'Not good. But as you can see, I am dealing with it.'

'Yeah, these drawings definitely prove that,' he said looking over them.

'Hey, at least I'm not sagging in a pillow, holding a bottle of Prozac by my side,' she replied.

He dropped something in her hand. An envelope.

'Plane tickets…' she muttered. 'What for?'

'For when we go see Cobb. The flight is in a few hours.'

She groaned and turned away from him.

'Ariadne, I told you we'd have to ask for his help on this one. I'm not doing this without him,' he reasoned.

'So I have to travel all the way to LA…great, I'll miss another couple of seminaries.'

'You don't attend those anymore. You barely show any interest in your school work. What's the problem?' he asked, nonchalantly.

'Uh, how do you know _that_?'

'I'm the Point Man, I'm supposed to know all that.'

'Yeah, don't you think you're doing your job too well? Maybe you should take a break.'

'Stop finding excuses already. We have to leave soon. I'll wait in your living room while you get packed.'

Ariadne's heart sank. She walked into her bedroom, her mind in a daze. She was going to see Cobb soon. How would that feel? Completely awkward or just insane? Maybe a little bit of both.

Of course she wasn't ready to see him now. She wasn't ready to talk to him and tell him that Mal was harassing her on a daily basis. He had just got rid of his guilt. She didn't want to trigger it once again.

But she suspected Arthur would tell him everything anyway, if he hadn't already.

Her heart suddenly stopped. She rushed into the living room.

'You didn't describe my dreams to Cobb, did you?'

Arthur raised a brow.

'Not in detail, no…Eames told him about Mal and that's about it.'

'Oh, good…' she said relieved. 'So he doesn't know the gist of it, right?'

There was a pause.

'So you don't want him to know what your subconscious is telling you? That you might have feelings for him? And that you feel guilty about that?'

'I do not have any feelings for him! I' m his _friend_. Just like you are. My subconscious is only feeling guilty for the fact that I separated Mal from Cobb.'

'So then, if there's nothing like feelings involved, why are you so afraid he'll find out what the dream was about?'

'He might read into it differently. And I don't want him to worry. I don't want him to think it was his fault.'

'But it_ was_ his fault, wasn't it? And I think he's already worrying.'

She sighed. 'You're just a ray of sunshine, aren't you?'

'Hey, I'm just calling you back to reality. Whether you like it or not, Cobb was the one who…'

'I _chose_ to see what I saw. I _chose_ to go into limbo with him,' she retorted.

'That doesn't mean it wasn't his fault for letting you.'

She groaned and slammed the door to her bedroom, not wanting to see his smug face anymore.

* * *

The flight on the plane took longer than expected due to some turbulence but Ariadne remained calm in her seat. She was reading some of her courses, trying to keep her mind occupied again.

Arthur was only a few seats away and from time to time, he turned to see if she was alright.

She nodded at him and continued reading.

'Anything to drink, Miss?' the flight attendant asked.

'Um, some water please,' she said smiling.

When the woman brought her the cup, the plane took a jolt and the cup was spilt on her shirt.

'Oh, goodness I am so sorry, I will bring you napkins right away!'

'No, no, don't worry, I'll just go to the rest room,' she said waving her hand.

She wasn't very fond of planes, or of that tiny, condensed, claustrophobic room they called a bathroom.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror for some time. There were dark circles under her eyes. No wonder.

She looked like a mess. One that hadn't really slept in a while.

'I guess I underestimated beauty sleep,' she said drowsily as she splashed her face with water.

Now that she was on the plane, she couldn't turn back and change her mind.

'Unless I find the parachutes. But Arthur would probably stand in the way.'

So that was it. She had to face Cobb.

'On the bright side, I'll see his children,' she muttered.

Her head suddenly collided with the wall. A small yelp escaped her lips as her head hit the rough surface. She was sure she'd feel some blood.

Someone was holding her arms at her back so she couldn't move.

'You mean _my _children?' Mal asked, smiling into her ear.

Ariadne struggled to get away from her grasp but she was towering her.

'You will stay away from them! You won't poison my children! You may have poisoned him, but I won't let you do that to them!' she yelled pulling at her hair.

'I didn't do anything to your husband!'

'That's right, he's my husband. Give him back to me. He doesn't belong with you.'

'I don't want him to be with me, but I won't let him return to you, because you're not real!'

'You say you don't want him for yourself, but I know what you think at night, remember I'm in your dreams. I know you'd like to see him smile at you. But you see, he'll never love you back. He'll never love you like he loves me. And you'll always be reminded of that,' she said throwing her against the other wall.

'He's not mine and he's not yours, Mal,' she said flexing her arms and pushing her away.

Ariadne grabbed her hands and prevented her from attacking her again.

'Hmm, you're growing strong,' Mal drawled, smirking. 'But you're going to have to be stronger than that.'

One of Mal's heels stabbed her foot and she almost fell. Ariadne punched her in the stomach, but Mal's fist collided with her head too fast for her to avoid it.

'You've already taken one man before. Don't take him too,' Mal whispered in her ear, before dunking her head in the sink.

She jumped from her seat, her heart beating. Arthur was at her side already, holding her shoulder.

'I woke you up just in time probably,' he muttered. 'Sorry, I didn't notice you had fallen asleep. You seemed to be reading your courses.'

Ariadne looked into his eyes and felt a sharp pain inside.

'She's still there,' she whispered, meaning Mal.

'I know,' Arthur said sadly.

'She won't leave. She still thinks…'

'No, it's what _you_ think. You have to convince yourself first, if you want to deal with her.'

'She said that I had taken someone from her before,' Ariadne confessed, feeling more confused than ever.

'It's probably your mind playing tricks on you, it can't mean anything,' Arthur replied.

'Just like her calling me Becca?'

'Look, don't think about it anymore. I'll sit here next to you. I'll take care of you, okay?'

'She's trying to tell me something,' Ariadne insisted.

'Did she assault you again?'

'Yeah…some punches and hits here and there,' Ariadne said, massaging her forehead.

'Oh...'

'And maybe trying to drown me. But I don't think she really thought that through.'

'Yeah, only you can draw humour from this,' he said, the shadow of a smile passing his lips.

'Trust me, I'm not trying.'

'Don't worry...Cobb has been through this. I'm sure he can help you somehow.'

Ariadne hesitated. After this last dream, she didn't know what to say. Even before she had been reluctant to the idea, but now it became clearer to her that it would be very wrong for him to see what she saw. She couldn't risk dragging him back into the turmoil of the last two years. If that happened, it would be even worse. She wouldn't forgive herself. And they'd both be in trouble. Then there'd be no way out.

They'd both be stuck with the horrible weight of guilt. And while the prospect of suffering together wasn't that bad, it would be merciless on Dom.

'I'm not sure he can. I mean, I don't want him to enter the dream.'

Arthur opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again.

'Excuse me?'

'You heard me.'

* * *

It was far too hot in LA. She concluded she wouldn't like staying here in the summer. She wasn't feeling very comfortable in her skirt and her short top, but it was literally burning outside. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out how Arthur was still so fresh in that crisp shirt and those black pants.

Eames was driving in front of them. They had taken a cab.

The first thing Ariadne noticed about Cobb's house was that it had red shutters at the windows. The second was the hammock in the back yard.

The third was Dom sitting at the window, watching them.

She tried looking away, but his deep, blue eyes caught her in an ocean of memories immediately.

Arthur helped her out of the car.

The door opened and Cobb and Eames stood in the hallway. Eames had already made himself a drink.

Arthur glared at him.

'What? I need to keep hydrated at all times,' he said, grinning. 'Some scotch usually does the trick.'

'Arthur, Ariadne,' Cobb spoke looking at her.

'Hi, Cobb, I guess you weren't expecting so many visitors,' she said embarrassed.

'No, I've been expecting you,' he said calmly.

He was staring at her more than he should have. Watching the victim of his own machinations, the girl with black circles under her eyes, the girl with a soft, haunted look, made him feel like she was his work of art, a work of art which he had corrupted in order for him to fulfill his unreachable goals.

It was the art that had brought the artist back, he thought.

The powerless girl had given him power out of nowhere.

Cobb led them to the living room.

Phillipa and James couldn't stay away for long. They jumped in front of her, peering at her with curiosity in their eyes.

'Phillipa, James, these are daddy's friends, Ariadne and Arthur,' Eames told them, ruffling their hair.

'Ari…adne?' Phillipa asked surprised. 'What name is that?'

Ariadne crouched slightly to talk to her at her level.

'Well, it's a Greek one. In old stories, the girl that wore my name helped a brave man get out of a maze,' she told her, smiling.

'How did she do it?'

Ariadne smiled, touching her hair lightly.

'She used a thread of wool, as soft as your hair.'

Phillipa giggled. James stepped up to her and pulled at her skirt.

'Did it work?'

'I think so. He managed to get out.'

'What was he running from?' he asked, curious.

'Um, let's say a scarier version of the Boogie Man, with horns.'

James laughed. 'I know him! I'm not afraid of him.'

'You aren't? You're lucky, I had to keep a flash light next to me all the time,' she said chuckling.

Ariadne suddenly felt very warm, talking to those children. They were innocent and full of live. And their dreams really did melt with reality. They were the real dreamers.

Cobb was watching her puzzled. He had to admire the way she was talking to them, treating them like small adults.

'What happened to the girl?' Phillipa suddenly asked.

Cobb tensed. This story, it was familiar to him. He knew it all too well. He knew that she had saved him from the Minotaur. But he didn't know what happened to her in return.

'Um, well, she…' Ariadne faltered.

'Did she marry the brave man?' Phillipa asked again.

'Oh, no, you know what she did? She took the Boogie Man on by herself. And she defeated him,' Ariadne said smiling.

'Wow, no way!' James exclaimed.

'Way,' she replied laughing.

'You know, that's not how it goes…' Arthur whispered in her ears.

'So what? My story,' she whispered back.

'Then, I want to be called Ari…adne, too,' Phillipa said.

'Well, your name is very pretty. You shouldn't want to change it.'

'But my name doesn't have a story,' she pouted.

'Phillipa, Ariadne might be tired from her flight…' Cobb intervened, but Ariadne took Phillipa's small hand in her own.

'That's not true. You can make a story of your own with your name. You're lucky. You can start from scratch.'

'Really?'

'Sure. And when other girls are named after you, they'll think of who you were and what you did.'

Phillipa grinned. The concept pleased her immensely.

Cobb smiled at Ariadne warmly. She always had a way with words.

Arthur threw him a meaningful look, but Cobb decided to ignore it.

'Awww, you're actually a kid on the inside, aren't you?' Eames teased Ariadne, laughing.

'So, how have you been? Idling your time away?' Arthur asked Cobb.

'Something like that. I didn't feel like doing anything else,' Cobb replied distractedly.

'You know we have a new job,' Arthur said eyeing him interested. 'It's an Extraction. Simple enough.'

'I heard.'

'We were thinking maybe Ariadne could join us,' he continued. 'But…we would need an Architect.'

Cobb's entire body went still. He dared to look at Ariadne who was keeping her eyes on the floor. They had switched places. Now she was the one who couldn't build and he was the Architect.

'May I …go to the bathroom?' she muttered getting up. She kept her face to the ground. Didn't want anyone noticing she was having a really hard time.

'Oh, sure…' Cobb said. 'It's the first one on the right.'

She uttered a quick 'thanks' and left the room in a hurry. Arthur watched her leave.

'She's…not taking things so well, as you can see.'

'Well what do you think? That she'd give up being an Architect easily? That she'd get used to the idea of being plagued by Mal?' Cobb asked irritated. 'I need to enter her dreams and see it for myself.'

Eames and Arthur both looked at each other.

'Eh…she sort of doesn't want that,' Eames began.

'What do you mean?'

Arthur shook his head.

'She's refusing to let you come into the dream because she thinks that…well, you'd be affected. And that you'd start torturing yourself again.'

'She's a bit of a martyr, isn't she?' Eames commented.

'But I need to help her. There's no other way but to see it for myself.'

'Yes, we get that, but she's not cooperating on that field.'

Cobb remained silent and watched his children leave the room.

'There's some frozen yogurt in the kitchen,' he yelled after them. 'She has to cooperate.'

'Well, good luck persuading her,' Arthur told him. 'That's what I tried to do on the plane. Then she dreamt of Mal again. And things got complicated.'

Cobb stared at the two of them for a good minute. Something snapped in him.

'You're not really here for her, are you? You're here for the job.'

They both remained silent.

'You're here to convince me to be the Architect.'

'If it's safe to assume that you can build now,' Arthur said calmly. 'Look, Cobb, we want to help her. _I_ want her to be safe. But this team needs you too. We don't have enough time to find a new Architect.'

'Wait, you already accepted the job then.'

'Cobb, I need to get back on track. The best way to draw attention is by not doing what you've always done. I want to get back in there. And if we can help Ariadne along the way, the better it is, for the both of us.'

Cobb felt too angry to reply. He knew Arthur could not perceive Ariadne the way he did, because he hadn't felt what he had, he hadn't been on the brink of collapse like him, he hadn't felt her presence as the one thread that kept him going.

And of course, he didn't feel guilty, because he was responsible for nothing.

'I care about her too,' Arthur said quietly. And he really did.

'I will have to think about it,' Cobb replied at length. 'Right now I am content with what I have.'

'Right now,' Eames repeated. 'But right now she needs your help too. We all do.'

'Where will you be staying?' he asked.

'We'll be staying at a hotel,' he replied. 'Separate rooms. If you want, we can book one for you too, just in case.'

They waited in silence for a couple of minutes, Cobb mulling over the idea of entering her dreams. Or how exactly to do it.

After a while, he grew impatient.

'I'll go find her,' he said getting up.

The bathroom was empty when he arrived there, but he heard voices in the kitchen. Someone was laughing. It was James.

He peeked through the open door and saw Ariadne sitting with the kids at the table, serving them the frozen yogurt.

'Can we have some chocolate on it?' Phillipa asked.

'Yeah sure, where is it?'

Phillipa pointed at a cupboard that was out of her reach.

'Daddy doesn't let us look in it, cuz it has sugar,' she said giggling.

'Well, why don't you take out the box yourself?' Ariadne said and lifted her in her arms.

Phillipa smiled pleased and opened the cupboard door. She took out the box of chocolate and put in Ariadne's hands.

Phillipa ran back to the table.

'Look, Jamey, I got the chocolate!'

'Big deal,' he said sticking out his tongue.

'Hey, Ari…are you really daddy's friend?'

'Yep. We used to work together.'

'Work on what?'

'Um, building things.'

'Like castles?' she asked eagerly.

'Even castles, why not? They're easy to make.'

'Really? Could I make one too?' she asked eagerly.

'Well, you could draw it for me on paper. We could start there.'

'But I don't know how…' Phillipa said, getting sad.

'I could show you.'

'I want to build cars that turn into robots!' James exclaimed.

'You're a big Transformers fan, aren't you?'

'How'd you know? Wait here, I'll bring my collection!' he said and rushed out of the kitchen.

'Oh, Cobb, I hadn't seen you there,' she said getting up, flustered.

'So this is where you're hiding,' he said smiling. 'How are you getting along?'

'Daddy, Ariadne said I could build a castle, so I'm going to build one,' Phillipa announced proudly. 'She will teach me how.'

'I'm sure she will, honey. Go get your brother, Ariadne and I have to talk a bit.'

When Phillipa was out of the room, Cobb turned his attention to her.

'You're pretty good with children.'

'Nah, trust me, ten years of baby-sitting jobs will prove you otherwise.'

He chuckled.

Ariadne turned towards the large French windows that opened to the back yard. She could see the hammock swinging in the wind.

Cobb approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

'We need to talk about it, Ariadne.'

'Or we could just be quiet for a while,' she replied.

'You know I can't do that. You know it's my…'

'It's not your fault,' she said, touching his hand lightly without moving. He had an instinct to draw it away but he liked the soft feel of her long fingers on his.

His breath fell on her hair.

'It is me who made you like this. And I need to fix it. You have to let me see…'

'You've seen enough Dom. You've suffered enough on her account. Now you're finally happy with your children. I can't let you go through that again.'

'Look, I'll never be really happy if I let _you_ go through that. I won't be able to live with myself.'

'Then you'll have to. I'm not letting you in, Dom.'

This statement felt like a cold slap in the face. It felt as if she had drawn a wall around her,even though he was so close to her.

'Ariadne, you saved me once, let me do the same for you. Mal isn't going to affect me. Not in that way.'

'You can't know that.'

'You don't trust me?'

She turned around and faced him. Cobb was reminded of the time on the bridge when her cheeks had been red like cherries.

She nodded silently.

'That wasn't an answer.'

'Maybe I do. But that won't change things.'

'So you're just going to let her do this to you? You're not going to let me help you...'

'I want you to help me, but I don't want you to enter the dream. Can we have it like that? Please?'

'Ari...'

'I'm asking you as your friend.'

'That's almost impossible...'

'Almost? Well, at least there might be a chance.'

Cobb sighed. If he had to choose, he would like to try anything, instead of not helping her at all.

'You're asking something pretty difficult, but I could try…'

She smiled at him cheerfully, but she couldn't hide the sadness in her eyes.

'It's good to see you again. I'm really glad you and your kids are doing okay,' she said.

'It's good to see you too. I was wondering what you were up to.'

She was going to ask him why he hadn't called, but she realized it was a stupid question. Why would he call her? There was no real reason…

'And I admit I wanted to see your kids too,' she added. 'I was curious. They're pretty great. You're lucky to have them.'

'I know, they've helped me a lot.'

'Phillipa reminds me of someone, I don't know exactly who. She's the cutest anyways,' she added. 'I'll probably come and visit them, if you don't mind.'

'Mind? They'd be happy to have you here. They seem to like you. I'd like you to be here as well.'

An idea was forming into his head. Was it really the right choice to leave Ariadne at some hotel with Arthur and Eames? With her condition, wouldn't she be better off here, at his place? He had a guest room she could use. He could observe her better. Take care of her better.

Maybe he was exaggerating, but he felt he should do this for her.

Suddenly he heard James rush into the kitchen.

'Look, Ari! I brought my toys, come on let's play!'

'I can't right now, James, I think I'll leave soon. But this is a pretty good collection you have here. No Optimus Prime?'

'Phillipa lost it,' he said, glaring at his sister who had just run in.

'I did not! Alfie got it!'

'He's our dog, you gotta see him!' James said eagerly.

'Are you staying to play with us Ari?' Phillipa asked.

'Um, I'll come another day you guys, okay? I can't right now.'

James and Phillipa looked at each other in disappointment. Cobb couldn't miss that look in their eyes.

'We should get back to Eames and Arthur. They're probably wondering…'she spoke.

* * *

Eames and Arthur were both discussing in a low whisper and they stopped abruptly when Cobb and Ariadne appeared.

'Where did you two disappear?'

'We were in the kitchen with the children,' she explained awkwardly.

'Well, we should go check us in at the hotel,' Arthur said looking at his watch. 'We'll call you later.'

'I think Ariadne should stay here,' Cobb suddenly said.

She stared at him perplexed.

'What do you mean stay here? With you?' Arthur asked raising a brow. He looked over at Ariadne who was just as surprised as he was.

'I don't see the problem. I have a guest room that's in perfect state. I could help her here better,' he said calmly.

'Uh, Cobb, I don't think I should bother you like that…' Ariadne started.

'Nonsense, you're not bothering anyone. The kids would like you here. Consider it a way of me saying thank you.'

'What about me, Cobb?' Eames asked smirking ironically. 'Don't want to thank me as well?'

'This is risky, Cobb, she's not in the best of states,' Arthur argued.

'I can handle it,' he replied stiffly.

'I know _you_ can, but…' he said, but faltered. He was about to say she couldn't. Because those dreams of hers proved that there might be something she's hiding. Something she's hiding from Cobb, some feelings she's trying to repress.

But he couldn't tell him. It wasn't his place. If he was going to find out, it had to be from Ariadne.

He felt a stab of jealousy noticing that Ariadne seemed a lot more comfortable around Cobb than him.

Although, he had to admit, he hadn't exactly been the warmest of people to deserve her trust. It still bothered him though. Cobb had had his turn with his wife. Ariadne was young and…

'But what?' Cobb asked.

'I'm just saying. I don't think it would make a difference. But, maybe you know better. Have it your way.'

Ariadne looked at the two of them and frowned.

'Hey, I don't need to be treated like some crazy person, like a helpless patient.'

'I don't intend to do that,' Cobb replied.

'Well, what _do_ you intend, Cobb?' Eames asked.

'I intend to help her without entering her mind,' Cobb said slowly.

'Oh, that's grand!' Eames said, laughing. 'That's very innovative of you.'

Arthur rolled his eyes.

'Shut up, Eames. Cobb knows what he's doing, don't you Cobb?'

Cobb smiled angrily.

'I sure hope I am. Otherwise I wouldn't be doing it.'

Ariadne didn't know what to say. On the one hand, she would have wanted to stay. She felt safe and secure there. She felt she might even sleep.

But on the other hand, she didn't want to be this close to Dom. It felt like it would trap her. And then she wouldn't be able to deny the fact that there was something inside of her. And she wanted to have a chance to get rid of those doubts in her mind.

'I think I should just go to the hotel, Dom,' she told him softly.

Arthur flinched. She was calling him Dom. The name sounded like sugar when she pronounced it. He didn't feel comfortable at all with her calling Cobb that.

'No, you should stay. It would be the best option. Arthur and Eames can't help you like I can.'

Arthur felt another cold stab in his chest. What was_ that_ supposed to mean?

He had to calm down. He himself had admitted that Cobb was the only one suited to help her.

That didn't mean that he was not full of flaws and obsessions, haunted by memories that could destroy him.

After more arguing, Ariadne finally gave in and decided to stay, receiving many disapproving stares from Arthur.

'Well, there's no reason for us to chat anymore. You know where to find us if you need our help…or if you change your mind about the job,' Eames said getting up and ready to leave.

'We'll be keeping track of things,' Arthur said coldly.

Cobb walked them to the door. When Ariadne was out of earshot, he whispered something to Arthur.

When Arthur and Eames drove away, the latter asked him what that had been about.

'What did Cobb tell you at the door?'

Arthur felt very confused. He was looking straight ahead, not trying to betray any emotion.

'He said we should convince Ariadne to take the job.'

Eames eyed him surprised.

'Really?'

'Yeah.'

'Why would he propose such a thing?'

Arthur wouldn't answer. He had a wild guess in his head. But he wouldn't voice it.


	6. Chapter 6

**_I just wanted to say loads of thanks to all the reviewers, the anonymous ones and the ones I couldn't reply to. You guys are brilliant and you fuel my work. Thanks! Here is the new chapter._**

If Dom knew one thing about Ariadne was that she never quit until she got her own way. In that respect, she was much like his wife. He suspected that if he entered her mind without permission, he would lose the feeble trust she had in him. Not to mention, he would not be able to perform a successful extraction if her mind was completely against his presence.

If he felt hurt about her not letting him see her dreams, he did not show it. He had allowed her to come with him in his elevator. Then they had both walked on the beaches of limbo. She had seen the love he felt for his wife in his eyes, she had seen their fingers laced together in one last goodbye.

And after all this, she was still the one trying to protect him, trying to keep him away from his daemons, forgetting to fight against hers. It bothered him that she was perfectly calm, almost perfectly content to take the burden. He would have wanted her to lash out at him and blame him, not act like a martyr and take on his personal issues, making them her own, without as much as a flinch.

He couldn't stand to see the sweet, innocent look on her face tinged with torment and fear.

He had seen this look before, when Mal had succumbed to that one simple idea, that her world was not real. That look spoke a thousand words, a thousand bitter words.

He had acted on impulse when he had asked her to stay. It had been selfish of him. He had wanted her under his control. He had needed to see her here, where he could touch her and feel she was real, where her torment was real.

He watched her unpack her small belongings in the guest room. She moved her small hands with a visible tremor.

If he wanted her trust, if he wanted to enter her mind completely, he would have to stay out of it at first.

In the evening, he started regretting having asked her to stay. Something felt wrong about it. He remembered his dream on the bridge and he realized that maybe it wasn't a very good idea for her to be here, but he could not say anything now. She did not have to know he was dealing with some issues himself, otherwise she would worry about him first. Why was she so selfless? Didn't she know he was the most selfish person in the world?

They both sat together at dinner. Phillipa and James seemed pleased that she was there, even more so since she answered all their questions. Their father did not do that sometimes. He said they needed to grow up a bit to find out more. But Ariadne did not spare them. She always told them everything. They appreciated that.

Sure, she usually sugar-coated her answers, but at least they got some answers.

"We don't have a mommy anymore," Phillipa said sadly. "Was your mommy nice, Ari-adne?"

"Well, she might have been," Ariadne said carefully. "But I don't know. I never met her. When I was very young she let me go."

Dom stared at her surprised. The information was registered quickly. She did not have a mother.

"She let you go?" James asked interested.

Dom coughed quietly, staring in her eyes intently. He knew it must be hard for her to talk about that... She didn't have to do it, not for his children.

"Yes, she probably thought I needed to go out and discover the world," she lied, smiling.

_Discover the world_. He smiled to himself. What parents could have possibly let her go?

"Don't you miss her?" Phillipa asked amazed.

"I can't miss someone I don't know," she explained.

"So that's why we don't miss daddy's dad! Cuz we don't know him," Phillipa replied.

"Yes, you have to grow attached to someone in order to miss them."

He had missed her. He had missed Ariadne's rational, simple way of thinking that always cleared his head. He was attached to her.

"Ari-adne? Did you see the world, like your mommy wanted?"

"I tend to think so, yes. I took a raft and sailed across the rivers, just like Huck."

"Who is Huck?" they both asked in unison.

"Don't tell me you've never heard of him. When you go to bed tonight, I will tell you."

"Yey, a story! Yey!" they both yelled happily.

Dom couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow hit his chest. Mal had always been the one to tell them stories at night. He didn't have the heart to tell Ariadne that this was painful to him. A part of him was pleased that his children seemed open to the idea. He had expected them to want only Mal to tell them stories.

"It's not a girly story, is it?" James asked worried. "It's not with stupid princesses, is it?"

"Oh, no, it's full of adventures," she said.

"What's wrong with princesses?" Phillipa complained. "I'd like to be one."

"I told you sweetie, you're my princess already," Dom intervened caressing her cheek.

"Yeah, dad, but I wanna be a _real_ princess!" Phillipa said impatiently.

"Well, real princesses are very different, you know. They don't necessarily wear tiaras or pretty dresses, but they're always brave and smart and they fight for what they believe in," Ariadne told her.

"You mean princesses can kick someone's butt?" James asked laughing.

"Oh, repeatedly," Ariadne confirmed, faking complete seriousness.

Dom grinned, looking at Ariadne affectionately.

"Brave and smart? But I'm not like that," she huffed.

"How do you know? You and your brother were very brave to wait for your father," she argued. "And you were very brave about your mommy too."

"We were?" they both asked.

"Of course you were guys, that's why I love you," Dom said, ruffling their hair.

"Ari-adne? You can be our sister, if you want," Phillipa suddenly said, smiling sweetly.

Ariadne felt her cheeks turn red. Dom coughed loudly not knowing what to say. Hearing it out loud for the first time made him realize how wrong it was to treat Ariadne like a child.

"I think Ariadne is a bit too old for that," Dom intervened chuckling.

"Well, um, then she could be our aunt?" James said.

"I'd be more than honoured," she replied laughing.

"Does that mean...she's daddy's sister?" Phillipa asked curious.

"Yep, you're correct," Ariadne said, getting a bit flustered.

Dom couldn't help but feel uneasy. Surely, it was better than treating Ariadne like a child, but treating her like a sister?

It would have been normal, wouldn't it? She was about ten years younger than him. It would be right to consider her his sister.

But he couldn't muster the will to treat her like a sister, just yet. They had been through a lot together. Somehow it did not fit.

"Well, aunt Ari? When are you gonna teach me to draw a castle?" Phillipa asked expectantly.

"Oh, right, I haven't forgotten," Ariadne replied smiling. "Whenever you're ready, we'll start."

They all moved to the living room. Dom sat on the couch working at his laptop while Ariadne sat in a corner with the children, teaching them how to draw.

He was surprised how comfortable she felt with them. He had expected her to be more shy. He remembered she had mentioned dozens of baby-sitting jobs. She had had ample time to get used to children.

"Ha, I drew the line straight, Philli!" James exclaimed. "Yours is ugly."

"It doesn't always matter," Ariadne argued. "Phillipa, a line doesn't have to be straight to be beautiful. In fact, the greatest creations come out of deviations from what is...straight," she said, touching Phillipa's hair softly.

"So, making a castle without straight lines is good?" she asked hopefully.

"As long as you create something new, it doesn't matter. It's _your_ drawing."

"Still, mine looks more like a _real_ castle," James argued.

"Yes and that's important James. You care more about reality, I see. But you know, the world around us is our creation and we could change it and still call it reality."

"What? We could change it and still name it that? Isn't that wrong?" James asked surprised.

Ariadne grinned, impressed with the precociousness of the two.

"You can't know. There isn't really a firm line between what is real and what is not," she explained.

"Hmmm...so our castles could be the same! So there, Jamey!" Phillipa exclaimed victoriously.

Dom had abandoned his work along time ago, listening carefully to what the children were saying. He hadn't had the intention to eavesdrop, but the conversation was fascinating.

It amazed him that his children could make the connections so rapidly. He had underestimated them. They were pretty sharp.

Mal had never talked to them about these things, worried that she might fill their minds with her own worries. But they seemed to absorb the information without difficulty.

It is true what was often said; children had a clearer mind than most adults.

Ariadne would make a good mother some day, he thought to himself.

But who would the father be? Arthur?

He acquiesced it would probably be him. He had noticed the way he looked at her from time to time. It was imperceptible to everyone else, because he hid it all too well, but Cobb had noticed. He had worked with Arthur for many years, he knew the guy had some unbidden feelings for her.

The way he had reacted to the idea of her staying with Dom was proof enough.

Dom had felt slightly irritated by his display of jealousy. Ariadne was just as much his friend as she was Arthur's. If he planned on telling her how he felt, that was fine, but until then, Dom was allowed to be close to her.

In the back of his mind, he thought Arthur wouldn't make such a good father anyway.

When the children went to bed later that night, she kept her promise and told them about Huck and his journey.

He had stayed in the doorway, listening. She was a good story-teller. He wouldn't have minded listening to her all day long.

"Tomorrow, we're gonna build a raft, Philli!" James exclaimed.

"No, we're gonna build the castle!"

"No, we're gonna build the raft!"

"Hey, guys, we'll build them both don't worry," Dom intervened, approaching their beds.

He touched Ariadne's shoulder as a thank you.

She rose and he bowed down to kiss his children good night.

They both walked out of their room together.

"If you weren't this young, I could swear you had children before," he commented.

Ariadne stared at him surprised. He instantly kicked himself when he realized what he had said.

_If you weren't this young..._

It had sounded a bit rude. As if he thought she was ten. He didn't know how to take it from here.

"Well, I did go through many foster families. And they had many children. Told you, baby-sitting jobs," she replied awkwardly.

_Many foster families_...he thought saddened. She had been adopted by several people. Why would anyone let her go? How could anyone let her go once she was in their lives?

"I'm sorry," he said in a low voice. "I didn't mean to pry."

"You didn't, it's fine..." she said. "It's better this way. Right now, I wouldn't want my parents to be worried about me."

"Yeah, well I don't mean to be a fatherly figure here, but _I _am pretty concerned."

Ariadne almost laughed.

"Hey, remember I was the one who took care of you. I'd be entitled to wear that title more than you."

They reached her room. They stopped. Cobb would have wanted to say something that would turn the conversation around. Anything.

"Tomorrow, I'd like to start some experiments with you," he said bluntly.

That had come off very wrong.

"You know what I mean," he added quickly.

"Yes, I know...Um, Cobb? If I somehow...if I wake up and I...I mean..."

"I will be right next to you," he said calmly, trying not to show his worry.

"Thanks...I appreciate that," she mumbled and she shut the door quietly.

He waited for a couple of moments in front of her door. He would have wanted to watch her, but he couldn't.

He went to his room and sat on his bed unsure of what to do. He grabbed a book and started reading. He couldn't sleep and he wanted to be awake, just in case.

Who knew what could happen...

He remembered when he woke up from a dream with Mal. He'd feel lightheaded and sick, he'd feel half-dead, half-alive. And he always craved for more, as if standing in between them was never enough.

Phillipa and James wouldn't understand how he coped with the loss. Shutting his wife off meant focusing on his children, especially in his dreams. But for some reason, when he dreamt of his children, Ariadne had a way of sneaking in.

True, it had only happened twice. But the second time, she had taken more of him than he had wanted to.

"Aunt Ariadne..." he whispered.

* * *

Ariadne found herself walking with Cobb hand in hand through the streets of Paris. She was wearing a blue dress and had a white flower in her hair.

He was telling her something, but she couldn't quite hear. She only nodded absently from time to time. It was as if someone had stuffed cotton-balls in her ears.

After they crossed the well-known bridge, she finally heard a question.

"Have you ever been with Arthur...here?"

"I don't remember," she found herself saying. "Probably."

She knew it wasn't true. But she had said it anyway.

"Oh," he replied flatly, discomfort showing in his eyes. "I would have thought you would keep this place more intimate."

"More intimate? I'm already here with you."

He tightened his grip on her hand.

"Yes, but it's me. I know you more than you know yourself," he replied matter-of-factly.

"That's not – " she began, but a sudden push brought her to the ground.

Mal was on top of her. She struggled against her grip, but Mal held her in place.

Cobb stepped away slightly and watched them intently.

"Cobb, do something!" Ariadne yelled at him.

But he shook his head and watched them transfixed.

Mal grinned at her sweetly and pulled her face to hers.

"You and I are not so different. He'll get rid of us both in the end, won't he? But before that, I'll make sure you go first."

"Cobb, help me!" Ariadne yelped.

"No," he replied. "I know you better than you know yourself."

Without any warning, Mal bit into her neck angrily. Ariadne screamed. Her vision turned to darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter after a short break :) Thank you all so much for the awesome reviews, I think I'm becoming addicted. Thanks for reading as well. This chapter is a bit of a filler, I confess, but it has its main points. So enjoy! And don't forget, reviews make me really happy!**

A soft, surprisingly firm hand pulled her shoulder roughly. Her face suddenly collided with the fabric of a cotton shirt. Her nose hit a small, sharp-edged button. If it was another dream it felt a lot more comfortable than the first.

She thought she smelt something. It was a lemony scent, the kind she felt in the morning when she opened the windows. But there was something sweet about it, not entirely sour.

"Ariadne!" a voice called her from a distance. "Ariadne!" the voice was getting closer.

" Ariadne!"

The voice hit her like a train in motion.

Her eyes opened. She was currently holding Cobb's arm very tight. Her knuckles were as white as snow.

Her fingers latched onto the cotton shirt as if it was a safety net. She felt he would slip away from her if she let go. Maybe it was the fact that she had never had a male figure in her life(a strong one), but right now Cobb was everything to her that a male could represent; father, brother, friend, hus…

He was just there to offer his comforting arms.

"I'm awake,'' she finally muttered, raising her head.

Cobb sighed in relief and looked into her eyes.

"I am glad you're alright…''

"I'm sorry, Cobb, I just had a very bad dream and…I didn't wake the kids, did I?''

"They're fine, don't worry about that now. I am worried about _you_.''

"You don't need to..."

"I suppose I don't need to ask why you were screaming and crying…'' he said, feeling like the last person on Earth. "It was Mal, wasn't it?''

His eyes were staring at the blanket at her feet, but she was sure they were full of guilt. Those beautiful blue eyes were haunted by sadness once again.

"Cobb, it isn't your fault, it's my mind that won't let her go. It really has nothing to do with you."

"It has _everything_ to do with me. I shared my dreams with you and I let you see those painful, traumatising memories. Instead of protecting you, I pushed you right in the middle of things. I was such a coward. I couldn't tell Arthur about Mal, so I dragged you along in my hell, I allowed for you to be in absolute danger, I allowed you to risk your life for me, I deliberately made you face the pits of this world and now you are haunted by a part of my hell."

Ariadne grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"Hey, I don't and never will regret any of those things. If I hadn't managed to help you, I would have gone through real hell. I needed to do this. You are my friend, Dom. And I care about you. You know it was my decision to follow you. You couldn't have stopped me. I'd do it again if I had the chance. So, it's not your fault."

He didn't seem convinced at all, not even a bit, but he smiled slightly when she said she cared about him. He didn't feel like he deserved her care. The fact that she would willingly go through everything again just to bring him back was touching. Her loyalty amazed him. What had he done to deserve this?

He looked back on the times when they had shared dreams. She had gone without his permission to further levels of his subconscious. She had found his wife in that horrid apartment that held the key to her death and his own punishment.

When she had pushed the button and the elevator had descended, a part of him had felt enraged, a part of him had felt scared, but another part had felt happy. No one knew how hard it was to keep it all to himself. No one had tried to make him share. A perverse relief had flooded him because someone had gone over his wishes and had seen what needed to be seen. Someone had saved him from his own obsessive isolation. Someone had given him reason to share again.

He would have never shown anyone willingly. That is why he let her on the plane with them. Because she had broken into his mind when other hadn't.

"If you want me to stop feeling guilty, you'll have to let me into your mind. Ariadne, I can help you."

"No Cobb, I can't…I can't allow that. I couldn't live with myself. I'm already feeling pretty bad, I don't need another issue on my conscience. I'd feel worse than you if I let you get affected by Mal again."

"I wouldn't.''

"How can you know that?''

"I have my kids now, I have…friends that support me. I have Miles. I have myself. I don't need her in my mind anymore."

"These kids need a real mother. You need your real wife. It doesn't just disappear after some months. I know you let her go and I'm really glad you did, I mean I'm glad you let go of the projection…"she trailef off, blushing for reasons she could not comprehend.

"But it doesn't mean it can't come back again. Your bond was really strong. She said she was half of a whole. You don't let go of your half just like that. You know that better than I do."

Cobb stared into her brown, warm eyes and felt an understanding he had rarely had from anyone else. She had been the one to make him let Mal go, but here she was, telling him she knew he couldn't exactly erase her completely. He wondered briefly if she did actually know what it was to be half of a whole. She spoke as if she knew. But he shook his head. She was just a child. And who would be that other half that could possibly complete her? He felt Ariadne was the sort of girl who didn't need a half. He shook his head again.

"It's three in the morning. We should start the experiments first thing in the morning,"she mumbled looking at the VCR.

"Are you sure about that? Because I can understand if you don't want to sleep anymore."

"I'll try to occupy my time. You go to bed and rest."

"In order for this to work, I'll need you rested tomorrow. I'll stay here in the room and you go to bed. I'll watch over you, okay?"

"Cobb, no, you need _your_ rest. I'm a guest here. I really don't want to put you out."

"After everything you've done for me, it's the least I can do."

"It's too much. I'll be fine on my own, I promise. I'll read a book or work on some of my sketches…"

"_Ari_, please stop arguing and let me do this. Do it for me, as silly as that sounds. Just let me handle it."

After more complaining, she finally gave in, much to his pleasure. He drew a chair by her bed and settled in with a book comfortably.

Ariadne snuck under the covers again, sheepishly pulling her hair out of her face. It was a bit unnerving to sleep with him in the same room. She felt his gaze on her and it made her slightly nervous.

"Arthur was right,"he said quietly, smirking.

"About what?"

"You do have the silliest T-shirts ever,"he said, staring at her colourful pajama top.

She rolled her eyes and dropped her head on the pillow. They stayed like that for some minutes, she looking at him, he looking at her, before she softly fell asleep.

* * *

He heard laughter or some giggling. It was coming from another room. His eyes were still plunged into darkness.

He opened them slowly.

The sun rays were blocking his view. He squinted his eyes. His back hurt like hell. He was still in the chair…but the bed was empty.

He jumped up immediately. Panic spread through his bones.

Was she a sleep-walker? Had she gone out of the room while he was out?

He should have checked for that! He should have locked the door. But that would have been a bit too much.

God, she could be anywhere. Had she hurt herself?

He almost ran out of the room, hoping beyond hope that she was alright.

He was about to call her when he heard his children's voices in the kitchen. He opened the door to find a strange and somehow comforting sight.

Ariadne was sitting by the stove, cooking them eggs. The kids were sitting at the table, waiting eagerly.

"So what would you guys like for dessert? Do you have any cereals around the house?" she said as she put the plate full of eggs in front of them.

She poured them some juice, after which she rushed to the cooker to get the bacon that was sizzling in the pan.

"We have some cereals in one of the cupboards. It's called Wholly Healthy,"Phillipa said unenthusiastically.

Ariadne took out the box and inspected it quickly.

"Huh, wholly-grained pieces of wheat. There's also rice and oats. Huh. No sugar. Um, do you guys like this or do you generally eat old-people food?"

They started laughing again.

"We kinda hate it, but mommy always made us eat it. Cuz it's healthy."

"Yeah, I can see that. But it takes out all the fun in cereals. You can be healthy and still have tasty food. So I'm gonna add some honey and fruit into the combination. How does that sound?"

"You can do that?" they asked surprised.

"Of course I can. It's simple. It's not trigonometry. Wait...I'm actually good at that, well then, it's not er nuclear weapons. No, that's a really bad example. Okay, I can do it cuz I am a food person. I know food," she finally said grinning.

"Awesome!"they both said at once. "You're our favourite aunt. Even though we don't have another aunt!"

Cobb couldn't help the wide grin that spread on his face. His children began eating quickly, while Ariadne prepared the cereals. There was an odd feeling about this scene, like something was amiss. And yet, that thing that was amiss made this sight even more charming. He figured there was no adult in the room, there were only innocent children.

He walked into the kitchen.

"Daddy, Ari is making us dessert!"

"I can see that."

"Cobb, I er…sorry I didn't wake you up. You seemed to be sleeping so profusely. I'm making the kids something to eat. Hope you don't mind."

"I would never mind that. I always stay as far away from the cooker as I can. Hey, kids, how about you eat your cereals in the garden? Would that be okay?"

They didn't need any more encouraging than that. They ran into the garden and jumped into the hammock, waiting patiently for their cereals.

"Hey, so you're making the kids some new cereal,"he said matter-of-factly, approaching her.

"Yeah, I thought I should give them a treat."

"You know Mal would have never allowed that. She was very strict about healthy food."

"It's not exactly unhealthy. Plus they have time to think about that later. They're kids. They need their sugar,"she said smiling.

"I agree…it's just…it's a change in the way she did it,"he replied sheepishly.

"Oh, I…I'm sorry, I thought it would be okay…"

"No, no, please don't worry, I just…got very used to her eating habits. But I have to confess that I did buy the kids candy when she wasn't watching…So it would be hypocritical of me to try and be like her now."

"But you'd want this to remain as it is because it sort of keeps her memory alive to the kids,"she said, smiling sadly. "I know."

Once again he was more than grateful for her amazing understanding. He felt like hugging her.

"They'd have something to remember her by…"he said.

"Do you think they could ever forget her? I don't think it's possible. No one will ever replace her in their minds. She's their mom, you can't have more than one mom. I don't even know my real mom but somehow I know she can't be replaced. It's weird isn't it? I guess it's human."

"Aunt Ari! Are you coming?"Phillipa asked from outside. "We wanna try your dessert."

"Stop acting like a sissy, she'll come,"James reasoned rolling his eyes, although secretly he was really excited about the new breakfast too.

Cobb looked back at them, at their hopeful faces. He couldn't take that away from them. And he couldn't take this moment away from Ariadne either.

"Change isn't always bad. It might be the beginning of a new tradition. The tradition of aunt Ariadne. They have to remember you too, don't they? After all, you get only one aunt,"he said chuckling.

"You know that's not true,"she replied rolling her eyes, but smiling all the way through.

"Nevertheless…"

"Alright, alright…if you insist,"she said shyly.

"Actually, this is just an excuse to get a bowl of it myself. I kind of followed Mal's rules as well."

"Aha! I knew it! I knew you had ulterior reasons,"she joked, hitting his shoulder.

* * *

Arthur was sitting with Ariadne in the airport, holding on to their luggage. People were passing by in a rush. The voices in the speakers announced departures and arrivals as if it was some kind of complex poetry. The wind outside was bending the trees. He saw Cobb and Eames collecting their luggage from afar.

"Arthur, we're not supposed to be seen together right now," Ariadne muttered to him worriedly.

"I know. I know that."

"So why are we here? We can see each other in a month or so."

"Yes, but that's a long time…"he said, stealing a quick glance in her direction.

"It's not so long…it will pass quickly since we'll have a lot of things to do."

"I rarely have anything to do, Ariadne… So I'm doing this now."

"But why? Why are you doing this ?"

"For the same reason I kissed you that time. I guess my logic has some serious holes in it. I could fix that, but right now I don't want to."

Ariadne smiled at him sweetly, surprised and impressed with him at the same time. Without any notice, she tiptoed and pecked him on the cheek.

"That was really nice of you to say,"she added.

She was going to draw away, but he snatched her hand and pulled her for another kiss. Their lips met roughly and he let himself go in that sweet, absurd, intoxicating kiss.

"Will you stop kissing air, you little faggot?"someone yelled waking him up.

Eames was standing in front of him, hands on his shoulders. He had a stern look on his face.

"I swear if you go on daydreaming about the inexistent women in your life again instead of working, I will sock you over the head,"he added grimly.

"Shut up Eames. I was just resting my eyes."

They were at the hotel, preparing for the Extraction, thinking up new ways to fulfill the job. But Arthur's mind was somewhere else. Eames had noticed that and had grown consistently more worried.

He would have to talk to Cobb soon.

* * *

"Okay, what I need you to do is take my example…sort of. I placed Mal in a prison, as you called it. I locked her up in my subconscious. Do you remember the elevator? Of course you do, how stupid of me to ask. I'll need you to do the same. I won't be in the dream, so I need you to be strong. I'll give you some calming pills. It should make some peace in your head. I want you to try and build your own elevator. It will take some time. It will take more than three dreams, I think. But I know you can pull it off."

Ariadne nodded and swallowed the pills. She settled herself on the armchair.

"Now, you don't have any real memories of her, so let's make the floors some happy moments in your life. Then as you go downwards, you will put the sad events. And somewhere in the middle, between the sad and the happy you will place Mal. Your mind will instantly recognize it as a neutral place. Maybe this way she will bother you less."

"That's a pretty good plan…except, Cobb, I know I will have to face her eventually. I can't just lock her up like you did. You had to face her too."

"I know that, but for now, you need to be in control of your mind so we will try this. It will buy us some time."

Ariadne prepared herself for the sleep that would come.

"Cobb, please wear the bracelet, okay? If you enter my dream, I will know it's not a projection if I see that bracelet,"she said pointing at a wooden circle around his wrist. "If I find you in my dream, I will not trust you again…"

"I…I promise Ariadne…"

"Are you completely honest with me?"

"As honest as I can be,"he replied. "I will not enter the dream."

She muttered an inaudible thank you and closed her eyes.

He stared at her sleeping face, soft, fragile and yet entirely focused and present.

He had to do the extraction, no matter what. He had to get her to take the job, even if it meant he would be the Architect and not her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter! I know it's been a long wait, for which I truly apologize, but I had some writing problems. This chapter is extra long as you might have noticed. Hopefully, it will make up for my absence. I needed to get some inspiration. Music helped me get out of my blockage eventually. :)**

**I'd like to thank everyone for being so supportive of this story and for being such great readers and reviewers. And I'm not just saying that (although I do sound corny about it):) I mean, this story is pretty convoluted, so I really appreciate you sticking to it. Wonder if I would've done the same thing. Knowing my lazy ways...**

**Anyways,**** I hope you enjoy this chapter. And as always, let me know what you think!**

**P.S. Just a quick reminder; last chapter Ariadne went into the dream world to create a prison, similar to Cobb's, in which to entrap Mal. The new chapter starts from thereon.**

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* * *

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If she had to be honest with herself – which she usually wasn't – she almost hoped Cobb would enter her dream, against her wishes.

Although it killed her to admit any part of it, she would have felt relieved to have him there.

This small part of her mirrored Cobb's own hope that someone would break into his mind and see and feel whatever it was that was driving him to the brink.

We always yearn for people to learn our secrets and rid us of our responsibility. Become unwilling accomplices.

Ariadne was just like everyone else, except that her kindness and care for Cobb surpassed her selfish need to be broken. Her loaded conscience prevented her from doing anything potentially harmful to Dominic.

It was like a cemented wall, a cemented wall cracked in several places, but a cemented one nevertheless.

Instant dread would engulf her if Cobb were to come through the wall.

At first everything would be alright. He would smile at her and ensure her that he had everything already planned and that he knew what he was doing. He was good at persuading her that he wasn't, in fact, contradicting himself. Time and time again he had proven that he was an emotional person.

It wasn't that she didn't believe him to be strong.

But Mal was his other half (like she had once told her – half of a whole – oh such a poisonous idea). She was that part of him that died and left him loveless. So Cobb was less strong without her – without his love.

Cobb would lose control again. That she feared the most.

He would lose the will to let her die again. You can't let your love die too many times. It gets to you.

Mal would then take him in her arms once more and she would promise him a better life with her, a better future. She would promise him love and comfort.

She would promise she wouldn't die if he stayed with her and the children...

Only, they weren't here...

No, this was her mind. _Her mind._

So how would Mal promise him love in _her _mind?

For a moment, she felt utter despair, thinking that the two would, at one point, take over her mind in order to be together.

She would be at their mercy.

'No, I am crazy!' she suddenly yelled to herself, shaking her head.

When she lifted her head to see where the low whispers were coming from, she realized she was in the middle of a street. A car had stopped right in front of her. The driver had gotten out and was showering her with some colourful insults. The passers-by were whispering to each other, pointing at her.

Here was this poor young woman yelling in the middle of the street.

What caught her eye, though, was a man at the corner of this same street.

It was Professor Miles.

He was walking rather briskly, as if it was urgent for him to be somewhere. He didn't even look at her as he crossed the street in a rush.

He was wearing a nice, tweed suit. His hair was less gray than usual.

She stared at him for a good while – until he disappeared from her view.

She was sure she was in the dream world. But what was Professor Miles doing there?

She would have followed him, but she knew she had a task to accomplish.

She had to snap out of any personal lamentation and do what she was here to do.

Build the elevator.

First off, she had to find a building to her liking. She would incorporate the elevator in it.

But it was hard to choose. She was in Paris now – as she usually was in her dreams – and making an appropriate choice was proving very difficult.

Every building was a new window into another world. She would have wanted to discover all of them.

There was no time for that, however.

She felt – in her bones, in her heart – that there was danger around her. She felt Mal would appear soon – out of nowhere. She felt that not even in the dream world was time a luxury. Not now when a powerful, deadly, beautiful, enticing woman was just waiting to kill her again and again and again...

And why was she going to die at her hand?

Because she was so guilty.

She had taken Cobb away from her. She had taken her half away and had left her dead and alone. Without a single look back. She had shot her, aiming for her heart but only tearing her skin away. She had wanted her dead, unwillingly, un-admittedly. Not because she wanted people dead, God no. But because Mal was killing Cobb.

And seeing Mal do that to her love was infuriating and in a moment of fury and hopelessness, she had grabbed the gun and shot her, trying to make her understand that the key to love was selflessness – that if she really loved Cobb, she would let him go.

So she didn't really love him enough to make herself unhappy.

But, in fact, if she had to sink her feet in it, Cobb was the one not selfless enough to let himself go, to tear himself away from his beloved Mal.

His guilt was his pleasure. He had revelled in it. As long as he felt guilty, he had Mal to look forward to. As long as he was to blame, the victim would always be there, waiting for him at the other end.

He had changed though. She wanted to believe he had changed.

Because now he had his children to look forward to, so he wouldn't need his guilt anymore. Would that be enough to keep him away from his wife for eternity?

He wouldn't take over her mind in order to bring back Mal, no.

He would rebuild her in his mind – and this time maybe with all that she was, all the perfections, all the imperfections.

There was an irrational melancholy in her that made her wish she had met Mal under different circumstances.

An unknown hankering made her wish to have known her in another way. Made her wish she had known Mal as she was; a loving, intelligent, passionate, ambitious woman who happened to be an architect. And there was something else about her that Ariadne desperate wished she had known; she was hungry for Mal's smile, Mal's sad and regretful smile, the smile of the condemned one that has given up on everything and will try everything, just to stop herself from hoping.

It was the smile of someone who hated hope.

She had never seen such a smile before she met Mal. People always turn to hope as their last resort, but Mal hated hope; Cobb's Mall, be it a shadow or a projection, a woman or a soul, was always against hope, always fought against hope.

Hoping that the real world was good enough, hoping that everything was real, hoping that her children would grow up and be happy, hoping that they would be safe in this reality, hoping that what was real would never waver, would never betray her, hoping that her husband would still love her...

All these hopes had burdened her and now, in Ariadne's mind, she was free from her hopes, free from her illusions, careless to whether her world was real or not.

Her incepted mind was now unresponsive, completely indifferent to her place, her time, her existence.

She was free not to hope anymore about anything.

And Ariadne desperately needed to know that, needed to know that feeling.

Her feet stopped in front of what looked like a hotel. It was surrounded by lush gardens on all sides, except the one facing the busy street. It looked tall and majestic, but at the same time, warm and welcoming.

She walked over to the large entrance and stepped inside, hoping to find what she was looking for.

Much to her surprise, Professor Miles was sitting in the lobby, perusing a newspaper.

He seemed nervous about something. He kept touching his nape in an anxious manner.

There were other people in the lobby as well. A woman with a golden retriever, sitting with a large purse in her lap, a young boy playing on the floor next to her, another older man staring at the concierge and a maid that was taking some new towels up a flight of stairs, on the left side of the large lobby.

Everyone stopped to stare at her, but for Miles and the maid. She kept climbing the stairs, unaffected by her presence.

Ariadne decided to follow the maid. She was wearing her usual worn-out sneakers so she didn't make much sound, not enough for the humming and whistling maid to hear her.

On the third floor, the maid stopped. She had found her trolley. It was full of bathrobes, towels, bars of soap and many other such things. She knocked on one of the doors.

'House keeping!'

But she got no answer back.

However, Ariadne heard the sound of glass crashing in the distance.

When the maid had disappeared into another room, Ariadne swiftly opened the door and entered the suite.

The first thing she registered was the fact that the broken glass was just a vase that had glided on the carpet with a soft thud.

The second thing she registered was that she was in _that_ suite. That special suite that Cobb and Mal usually rented for their anniversaries.

The scene of the crime.

But it wasn't the room from Cobb's dreams. There was nothing broken or overturned. Everything was where it should be. The carpet was clean. No shards of glass anywhere. No torn furniture. The window wasn't opened. There was no dark figure standing at the opposite window.

But the room wasn't empty.

Two people were sleeping in the large, double-bed.

She knew this, because the soft, darkening light from outside was tracing the shape of two bodies intertwined in bed.

Cobb and Mal were sleeping, their arms around each other, the covers pulled scantily over their bodies.

Ariadne panicked all over.

She felt sick to her stomach.

Dom had promised her not to come into her dream. He had given his word, if that meant anything.

But for some strange reason, she knew that wasn't Dom. It couldn't have been. He wouldn't have entered her dream and gone to bed with his wife, just like that. He wouldn't have violated her wishes just to have one more go with his wife. That was simply callous.

In addition to that, this Dom was not wearing the bracelet she had given him.

She hadn't thought of this possibility. The possibility that her own projection of Cobb would appear in her dream and that he would be completely devoted to his wife.

For a brief moment, she felt surprised that after all she had seen Mal do to Cobb, after all that Cobb had suffered, after all the dangers they had gone through together, even her projection of Dom was that of a husband, in love with his traitorous wife. For a brief moment.

Because then she mentally slapped herself. It was stupid to consider that she would see Cobb any other way – not in love with Mal. Because he always would be in love with Mal, which was a natural, human thing.

He was in love with Mal in real life – why would her mind change that?

For another brief, very brief moment, she felt like taking off her heavy sneakers and crawling in bed with them. Pulling up the covers. Resting her head between them. Like the long lost image of their love.

Actually...like a lover. Because then maybe she'd know what it felt like to be a lover.

A third of a half of a whole.

A ghost of a shadow. Worse even.

She felt like throwing up. She actually rushed to the bathroom in the adjacent room and splashed cold water on her face.

She stood in front of the sink, staring back at her anxious, sad reflection. Her hands were leaning against the frames of the mirror.

She closed her eyes. She was here to build an elevator.

She had to think of happy memories – and then sad memories.

She wasn't here to see them loving each other, she wasn't here to stay. She had to leave and be quick and quiet about it. Let them live their afternoon in their own peaceful illusion, in her own troubled head.

Was this a happy, or a sad memory?

Neither, because it wasn't a memory.

She would count to ten, and then she would leave.

Ten, nine, eight, seven...

The door suddenly flew open and then shut again.

She turned around terrified.

A very sleepy, drowsy Cobb was standing in front of her. He was only wearing his shorts and a rested but troubled expression on his face.

He stared at her in utter shock and confusion.

'Ari..adne?' he said, almost misspelling her name. 'What...what are you...?'

She put her hands over her face, trying to hide her eyes and her burning cheeks.

'I...am not here. You're dreaming. Go back to bed,' she mumbled hastily and incoherently and tried moving past him in order to leave.

But Cobb quickly pulled her arm to him, not letting her leave.

'Why would I be dreaming of you?' he asked, now fully awake.

'Well, I'm your...architect and your friend. Friends sometimes dream about friends,' she muttered.

'Not when I'm spending time with my wife. Not when I'm with her. That would be odd, dreaming of another woman.'

'I'm not another woman. I'm just...your friend.'

'It still doesn't make sense. When I'm with her, there's no room for friends, or anyone I know. It's only her. So it's odd that I'm dreaming about you. Unless, this isn't a dream.'

'Of course it's a dream. Why would I be in your hotel room? Why would I be here when you're...half naked and...' she spoke, blushing again.

'True, but then something is changed. Something is not right.'

'Why? You're not allowed to dream of me? It happens sometimes, you know, you can't always control dreams,' she suddenly snapped, growing tired of his suppositions.

'But why?' he asked, rather sharply.

'Because, maybe I am – was a big part of your life at one point. Maybe the fact that I saved you triggered you to remember me. Maybe the fact that we were both in limbo,' she rambled, forgetting herself. The bathroom was warm and his eyes were mesmerising, in a sickening way.

'We were both in limbo? That can't be. I only took my wife there. We built our world together there. You were in limbo too?'

'Yes, I was there. I saw your world. It was beautiful...but haunting. I wouldn't have wanted to stay there.'

There was a heavy pause after that, in which he awkwardly looked her up and down.

'I would have remembered you in limbo.'

'The fact that you're dreaming of me proves that you do, I suppose,' Ariadne replied.

'You said you saved me. What from?'

'I...I saved you from having to live in that world.'

'You...' he whispered, searching her eyes for the truthfulness of her answer. He found it locked beneath her shimmering, brown orbs.

He stepped closer to her, his hands suddenly travelling to her chin.

He looked down at her face, trying to bring back the memories of her.

But failing.

He had a hopeless look in his eye. The more he avidly perused her face, the more he got lost in a web of inexplicable details.

Why was he here? Where was Mal? Was she really in that bed, in the other room?

Was Mal going to leave...? How did he feel about Mal not being there?

How did he feel about it being only a dream?

How did he feel to be powerless, trapped in his mind? Was it his mind?

How did it feel to know her? This familiar stranger, this girl who was here against all odds.

He was the shadow of Dominic Cobb, a poor, helpless creature, trying to please his own inexistent mind and hers.

He had to be the reflection of her mind and yet still keep something of his.

He closed the space between them and brought his hands to her arms and drew her to him.

She was pressed into his warm, dry skin. Her head buried in his neck, like a child. The redness of her cheeks enveloped her entire body.

She should have been anywhere else right now, but she wasn't quite willing to leave yet, because she liked to be held sometimes.

In difficult times, she liked to be the person who was comforted for once. Even if he wasn't offering her any comfort.

Cobb suddenly drew in a sharp breath.

He felt her heart beat.

So she was real – oh, she was real. And her heart was beating so fast, it was so beautiful.

It was as if he had never heard a heart beat in his life. He was lost in the moment. He felt entranced by the continuous humming sound, the sound of a hammer, beating into her heart, wearing it down, but lifting it up. Up and down, never stopping. A wild creature fighting to get out, pounding into her chest.

Shades never heard heart beats.

This shade, Dominic Cobb, was listening to a heart beat for the first time in his absurd existence.

He wanted to cry. But he couldn't. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't move now. He was far too bewildered, far too shocked to try and make any sense of it. He knew, although he didn't know why, that this was proof she was alive.

After what felt like an eternity, she lifted her head and drew away.

But he quickly grabbed her tiny hand and pressed it to his chest.

'What about me? Can you hear anything?'

She stared at him with large, wide eyes, her mouth agape.

She was going to nod her head, but then she realized, she wasn't feeling anything. She heard nothing.

He had no heart beat.

She wanted to shrink back, but he was holding her fast.

'Well? Do you?'

She looked at his empty chest, then at his soulless, blue eyes and then back at her hand.

'I...I can't be sure,' she mumbled nervously.

'It's not something you can be sure of or not. Yes or no? Do you hear anything?'

She started shivering.

'I don't think...'

'Tell me, goddammit!' he shrieked, pulling her hand hard.

'No! No, I can't hear anything.'

Her answer came as a punch in the stomach, a fatal wound to the head, a blistering injury to his every breath.

He squeezed her hand, in a pathetic attempt to make her take back her words. But she shook her head.

Ariadne was going to cry herself. She felt so much sadness and pity for the poor man standing in front of her.

Her heart went out to him. She pulled him into a soft hug. More like a tired, familiar embrace, as if it was the normal course of action. She pulled him to her so she wouldn't have to see the disappointment in his eyes.

He almost unconsciously let his arms circle her waist.

The sound of the door banging to the wall made her jump in his arms.

'What is going on? Dom, what are you doing with her?'

Cobb quickly pushed Ariadne behind him.

'Nothing, I was just talking...'

'Talking? Talking? You were holding each other! The way we hold each other. On our anniversary? What kind of bastard are you? You bring her here?'

'Mal, I would never do that! She is only my friend!'

'Friend? What friend? I know your friends, she's not your friend.'

'Yes, she is Mal. Don't you remember her? She's the architect.'

'Then why is she here? What does she want with you?'

'It's me, Mal we're in my dream right now. She's not really here. Please, calm down,' he told her, trying to touch her.

She flinched back and glared at Ariadne, who was trying to look anywhere but at her face.

'Calm down? Why is she in your dream?'

Dom looked at his wife, then looked back at Ariadne. He was trying to remember why she was here.

She was...important. She had...helped him. She meant something.

'She...she saved me from limbo,' he whispered confused.

'Saved you from limbo?' Mal yelled. 'I was the one who saved you from limbo! Don't you remember?'

'You? No...Mal...you wanted us to stay there forever. I remember that well.'

'That's not true. I wanted us to be together forever. And be happy. And you weren't happy there...'

'But you still wanted to keep me there,' Dom said, frowning. 'You didn't want to leave limbo.'

'I wanted to leave it all as long as I had you with me. You just can't see that, can you? Wherever you go, I am willing to follow. But maybe I am being stupid. Maybe sacrificing so much for you is not worth it when you can't even see it. You are as blind as ever, and you always will be.'

This last statement Ariadne felt Mal had meant for her, for some absurd reason. Mal had stared at her with something akin to recognition when she had said those words.

'I'm not blind. I know you love me, Mal. But your love makes you lose your grip on reality.'

'I'd rather lose my grip, than be completely rational and completely unhappy,' Mal retorted.

Ariadne felt once again that this was meant for her. Her rationality was slipping away anyway... she felt it leaving her. But it didn't make her any happier.

'Don't you want to be happy, Dom?' Mal asked, smiling that hopeless smile of hers.

'Of course I...'

'Then come back with me. Come to bed.'

'I...I can't. Mal, this isn't real...' he muttered, looking away in pain.

'Yes, you can! Come back to bed now! Come with me.'

'No. It's a dream, only a dream.'

'You want me to prove to you this is real?' she asked, her anger rising in her like a bullet.

She pulled out a small object from her pocket.

It was her totem – Cobb's.

But before Ariadne could realize what was happening, she saw the totem turning into a knife in her hand.

Ariadne shut her eyes and covered her ears with her hands.

No, not again. No, not her again. Not the senseless killing. Not against Cobb.

She couldn't take watching him get hurt.

She cleared her mind. She visualized.

And suddenly...

The room was torn in two. There was her half, hers and Dom's.

Then there was Mal's, on the other side.

A large elevator stood between them, pushing Dom and Mal away from each other.

Ariadne quickly ran to the elevator, stepped inside and shut the door hard behind her.

Inside, there was no panel of buttons.

Dom was staring at her, watching her intently, but silently.

This was the half – she decided. This was going to be the middle.

This is where Mal would be trapped, here, along with Cobb's projection.

It was as good a place as any to start.

And she didn't have time to overthink it now.

A shiver ran through her again.

She forced her mind to settle on a good memory. Something she treasured and loved. Somewhere where she felt safe.

Somewhere away from the commotion of life. Somewhere where time stood still.

The button panel appeared before her eyes.

Level 1. She pressed the button.

The elevator slowly but surely started going up.

She sighed relieved.

The elevator passed through the floor and reached the first floor of her memories.

The door opened with a clank.

At first, she didn't recognize it, but then she knew it must be what she had hoped.

She was in her safe place. She was in her familiar book store. (Chapter 3)

The infinite rows of books were a clear sign. The quiet, peaceful atmosphere, the smell of dried ink and lavender...Yes, this was it.

She quickly ran back into the elevator though, afraid Mal might show up suddenly and ruin this first memory of hers.

She thought now was a good time to get to Level 2.

Level 2 she decided would be the moment when she received her Paris scholarship. The day when she first found out. She had felt immense joy. She had felt invincible that day.

Could she muster her memory to feel that again?

She had been more than willing to run away from Mal and Cobb and find refuge in her old book store, but would she be able to feel invincible now?

She gulped and pushed on the second button, digging her nails into her fist.


End file.
